


The Power of Belief

by Citizen_Nappa



Category: Street Fighter
Genre: Asthma, Canon Compliant, Chun-Li Trying to be a Mom, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Headcanon, Healthy Relationships, Historical References, Loss of Virginity, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, School, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 74,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24327463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Citizen_Nappa/pseuds/Citizen_Nappa
Summary: Having enrolled her newly adopted daughter Li-Fen in school, Chun-Li seeks out the help of her homeroom teacher in the hopes of helping her adjust. As the year goes on, the two of them work together to guide Li-Fen through the uncertainties of her new life and to ensure she succeeds in spite of her unfortunate circumstances.Yet what started as a simple partnership soon grows into something that changes all three of their lives forever.(Chun-Li X OC)
Relationships: Chun-Li/Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Making Arrangements

**Note:** Dialogue in italics signifies that the character is speaking in Cantonese.

................................................................

2:26 PM.

Owen looked away from his watch and went back to looking over a handful of outstanding assignments he had yet to mark, making use of his remaining time before the next visiting parent arrived. He had been going through these motions for the past three hours, welcoming them in and attempting to gain a better understanding of their children in order to better help them going forward. It was little over a month into the school year, but he had made these sorts of “early-bird” conferences a staple of his approach since he started teaching almost six years ago: they established early connections with parents, gave him clear guidelines on what made each of his students tick and, in this specific instance, helped him brush up on his Cantonese.

Owen sighed before taking off his glasses in order to clean the lenses. He really did want his students to enjoy their time in his class, in no small part to remind them that despite the rigorous nature of their studies, they were still in the midst of growing up. Success wasn’t only dependent on their grades, after all. But he couldn’t peek inside their minds and see exactly what he needed to do to make that happen, which made these conferences an important step to crafting his plans for the rest of the year.

Owen looked up from the papers when he heard a knock on the door, prompting him to place his spectacles to the side.

" _Just a moment_.” Standing up from his seat, he walked over to his classroom door and opened it in order to welcome the visiting parent inside. But once he saw who was waiting for him on the other side, whatever he was going to say was almost instantly forgotten.

Standing there was a woman wearing a police uniform, her black hair done up in twin buns held up with with silk brocade and ribbons. Naturally, a police officer showing up at their doorstep would make just about anyone freeze up in shock, but she had informed him ahead of time she'd be coming in straight from work. Instead, Owen's stunned silence was due to the fact she was - to put it lightly - a total knockout. Her navy blue uniform complimented her athletic figure, with the most noticeable characteristic being her muscular thighs, which fit into a pair of jeans. Owen had only a few seconds to register all this before he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, forcing himself to keep his eyes on hers.

_“Ms. Xiang, I presume?”_ He said as he offered her his hand to shake. 

“And you must be Mr. Diedrich." She replied in perfect English as she accepted his offered handshake, once again catching him off guard.

"Indeed. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." He said after he managed to get his wits back about him. 

"Likewise. My apologies for running a little late - I was just barely able to set aside enough time to come here to begin with." Ms. Xiang said as they concluded their handshake.

"And I must thank you for doing so. Please, do come in." He motioned for her to come inside, standing aside in order to let her enter. As she passed, he caught a whiff of a rather strong scent - perfume, he assumed. After taking a moment to clear his throat, Owen closed the door and led her over to his desk.

"Have a seat, Ms. Xiang." He directed her to a chair just besides his own. “You’ll forgive the clutter. Just figured it would be an effective way to pass the time.” He said as he sat down beside her.

“I don’t think I’m in any position to judge. Where I work, you learn to get used to these sorts of scenes pretty quickly.” Owen lightly chuckled in response.

“I can imagine.” He said in response as he set about retrieving a notebook and pen.

"If you don't mind me asking, you're from overseas, right?" Ms. Xiang suddenly asked him.

"What gave me away?" He asked.

"Oh, I...noticed your accent." Owen couldn't help but smile. Of course she did.

"So, where're you from?" Ms. Xiang asked him.

"Canada - Halifax, to be more exact." He replied, which evidentially surprised her. "Really?" Owen nodded to confirm. "Aye, lived there almost my whole life." 

"I see." Noticing that she still seemed a little confused, Owen decided to offer her an explanation for what was no doubt a burning question.

"In case you're still wondering about the accent, part of my family is Irish. I guess it just sort of rubbed off on me." He explained to her.

"Ah, that explains it. Sorry to ask; I was just curious." Said Ms. Xiang.

"No worries." For the next little while, the two of them sat together in silence, with Owen lightly tapping his pen on his desk as he tried to focus enough to say what he wanted to say.

“Anyway, allow me to take the chance to extend my warmest welcome to both you and your daughter. Seeing as I'll be her homeroom teacher this year, I wanted to use this meeting as an opportunity for me to learn a little more about your child and to determine the best course of action in regards to her education.” He paused for a moment before continuing.

"And in Li-Fen's case, we have quite a bit to discuss." Ms. Xiang lightly nodded as her expression dampened.

"I'm well aware." She said with a sigh, causing him to likewise adopt a more serious mindset.

"Then perhaps we can start by putting the ball in your court, if you will. What do you think is most important for me to know?" He proposed, making sure to choose his words carefully. Eventually, Ms. Xiang decided to speak up.

“Li-Fen was diagnosed with a mental health disorder not too long ago. The doctor told us it’d best we let you and her teachers know about it as soon as possible.” Owen was stunned into silence. Out of everything he had been expecting to hear, that hadn't been one of them.

“And which disorder would that be?” He asked her. Instead of answering directly, Ms. Xiang reached into her bag and took out a folder.

"Perhaps it's better that you take a look at this yourself." She said as she handed him the folder. 

"Very well." Putting on his reading glasses, Owen opened the folder and started looking over the records found within. He hadn’t been informed of any medical conditions, so everything that he would find in this folder would be new to him. Eventually, his gaze lingered on a certain section, which diagnosed Li-Fen with…

“Post traumatic stress disorder?” He read out, looking back to Ms. Xiang in utter shock.

“Yeah. You can see the medication she was prescribed just down the page.” Mrs. Xiang pointed out and sure enough, the document included a prescription for sertraline; to be taken in the morning at 9:00 each day.

“How serious is it?” He asked to gauge the harshness of her situation.

“It seemed to have improved somewhat before she started school. She still has nightmares and doesn’t like talking about what happened very much, but I haven’t seen any serious…incidents recently.” She seemed rather uncertain while speaking.

"And is that still the case?" Ms. Xiang didn't answer his question, instead looking slightly off to the side. "I see." Owen said, her silence giving him all the information he needed. 

“I want you to be honest with me, Mr. Diedrich. Have you seen or heard about anything worrisome regarding her health?” The way she asked this gave him the impression she knew what his answer would be before he even gave it.

“All I can say for certain is that Li-Fen hasn’t come to me or any of her instructors for help: academically or otherwise. I also haven’t seen her interacting with her schoolmates. What happens in other classes and during leisure time, I can only guess.” He decided to tell the truth and his visitor weakly nodded in acknowledgement.

“Yeah, I thought as much.” She seemed disappointed, but not in her daughter. Rather, she seemed to be disappointed in herself.

“If it helps, Mrs. Xiang, can you tell me what your exact concerns are?” She sighed and adjusted herself in her seat.

“Well, I know that the past few months haven’t been easy for her; she’s still fairly new here and it’s going to take a while for her to settle into the usual routines. So, I guess I’m just scared that all these things that have been thrust on her all at once are going to, or are already making her condition worse, and I’m just not seeing it.” She remained calm throughout the explanation, but it was clear that her worry was deep-rooted.

“It most likely is.” She looked up at him in surprise. “I know that’s likely what you didn’t want to hear, but outside stress can make existing symptoms of PTSD worse. I’ve seen it happen.”

“You have? Can I ask how?” She asked, no doubt thinking he himself once suffered from the condition, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

“My granddad had it. And during times of uncertainty, his symptoms would flare up again. He said that how he felt then reminded him of how he felt when…well, during the event that brought it about.” He briefly specified.

“I see.” She said in acknowledgement, though he was sure her spirits had been dwindled by this news.

“I’m assuming the cause of her affliction is also the reason why she’s been away from school?” He inquired in such a way that he didn’t dig too deep. Li-Fen's records indicated that she was at least two years behind on material, with the reason for her absence being undisclosed. 

“That’s correct.” She promptly responded.

“And what plans do you have in regards to getting Li-Fen caught up?” He asked to divert their conversation to another crucial detail.

“We’ve decided to take it easy on that front…for now, at least. She has enough on her plate right now to worry about tutoring and the like.” Understandable enough, Owen thought. As it was, many students in Hong Kong and many other Asian countries spent almost ludicrous amounts of time in tutoring classes, cram schools and other similar after-school study sessions; the last thing someone with Li-Fen’s condition needed.

“And hopefully, it won’t come to that.” Owen said to express his agreement. “Now, there’s just one more thing I wanted to…” A brief stint of coughing followed, forcing him to turn away and shield his mouth with his sleeve.

“Excuse me.” He said as he reached for his water bottle, clearing his throat as he did.

“You alright?” He heard Ms. Xiang ask as he took a quick drink from the bottle.

“Grand.” He uttered just before he coughed just a few more times. “In all seriousness, ma’am, this isn’t anything I’m not used to. Just… give me a moment and I’ll be right as rain.” He proceeded to lean back in his chair and take a few lengthy breaths, relieving the slight tension in his chest. Glancing at the visiting parent, he noticed she was still observing him in silence.

“Well, don’t let me stop you. Place isn’t always kind to my lungs, but I think my ears still work.” He said to get her to start talking again, playing off his physical discomfort with a smile.

“Are you sure you don’t need anything? That was a rather nasty cough.” He could sense concern in her voice, which led to him quietly laughing.

“I have everything I need with me. Now, please…” He straightened himself in his seat “Let’s get back on track.” He insisted, with the visiting parent still showing signs of concern. “Where were we?”

“You were about to change the subject to something else.” She reminded him.

“Ah, yes. I wanted to discuss her social behavior. And I think it’s safe to assume that our previous two subjects influence it to some degree.” Ms. Xiang nodded in agreement.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that. Is she being picked on or anything like that?” It was a perfectly valid concern, but in this instance, it didn’t apply.

“If she was, you’d be the first to know. What me and my colleagues have noticed instead is that she seems to be actively avoiding interaction; we didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but our main assumption was that her interrupted education was mostly to blame. Were we wrong to think that?” He asked her

“Unfortunately, not. From what she tells me, she hasn’t so much as spoken to a kid her age for three and a half years.” Ms. Xiang soon replied.

“Goodness…” Was all he managed to say. The PTSD, the period of absence, the lack of interaction: the more Owen learned about Li-Fen, the more he found himself wondering just what happened to her. 

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but anything else?” He asked after a brief period of silence.

“I can’t think of anything else.” She confirmed. “So, what are you thinking?”

“That Li-Fen can still have a successful experience here, but for that to happen, we need to come up with a plan. And I need your help in order to make it work.”

There was a period where they maintained eye contact and despite his best efforts to suppress them, his thoughts again drifted to just how beautiful the woman in front of him really was. Still, he also managed to remind himself that anything he may potentially try would be immoral and potentially disastrous for both of them. The best option was to keep things strictly professional.

“Okay. What do you have in mind?” Owen took a moment to collect himself before continuing.

“In the short term, work needs to be done to minimize the amount of stress she’s under; if she needs accommodations, I will gladly arrange them. In the long term though, she’ll gradually have to take more and more steps out of her comfort zone.” Mrs. Xiang softly smiled after he concluded his run-down.

“And for either of them to happen, we both need to play a part.” She summarized.

“Exactly.” He said in response, stopping short of smiling himself.

He checked his watch again to see that it was now 2:49; less than a minute before they were supposed to finish up. “Hmm, I’m afraid our time’s almost up. Sorry, Mrs. Xiang, I’m going to have to stop us there. I still have quite a few of these conferences to go through.” He explained as he turned his attention back to her.

“Of course. I guess we have a plan, then?” She asked.

“I believe so. It’ll take some time, but I believe this is the best way for us to help your daughter. In any case, I’m confident the right path is within reach.” Mrs. Xiang nodded her understanding.

“I hope so, too.” The two of them rose from their seats so he could escort her to the door. Just before they got there, his visitor seemed to remember something “Oh, before I forget.” She exclaimed before she dug into her handbag and took out a small slip of paper.

“Here. Li-Fen wanted me to give this to you.”

Owen looked at the item in her hand and then back at her, unsure of how, or even whether he should respond. He racked his mind trying to remember whether there was an assignment she had forgotten to hand in, but came up blank. Eventually, he took the offered piece of paper and observed it, but stopped short of opening it.

“What’s this?” He eventually asked, still unsure of what to say.

“I’m not sure, but she’s been meaning to give it to you for a while. She would’ve done it herself, but-she couldn’t find the right time, she says.” Owen looked up at the visiting guardian and softly smiled. Somehow, he knew that “not being able to find the right time” was just her way of saying she was too shy to give it to him.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Can I ask you to do something for me, Mrs. Xiang?” He asked her.

“Sure.” She responded, which prompted him to hold out the slip of paper to her.

“I want you to hold onto this and if Li-Fen asks whether you gave this to me or not, give it back to her and say that you forgot to.” Mrs. Xiang pondered his request for a moment before smiling in apparent understanding.

“Ah, I see.” She said before taking the slip of paper from him. “Yeah, I think I can do that.” With that, she put it back in her bag.

“Is there anything else?” He asked just to be sure.

“No, I don’t think so, other than saying thank you. It was a pleasure getting to meet you.” She admitted as she offered him her hand, which he accepted.

“Likewise, Ms. Xiang. If you have any further concerns, always feel free to reach out to me.” He politely said.

“I will.” She assured him. What followed was a brief period of silence, during which Owen finally mustered up the courage to admit something to her.

"Oh, but before you go, Ms. Xiang, I have one more small request I need to make of you." He said just as it looked she was about to leave.

"And what's that?" She inquired.

"Well, I noticed that you were wearing perfume." He pointed out, causing her to look down at herself.

"Why, is that bad?" "That's just it. I really hate to ask you this, but you see..." Owen paused for a moment before continuing on. "I have asthma and the scent you're wearing, it's...not doing my lungs any favors."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Xiang's eyes widened in shock. "Oh. Oh my, I'm sorry. I had no idea." She apologized. 

"It's fine. But, going forward, may I ask that you..." "Yes, of course." She responded before he had even finished, which meant that she understood.

"Thank you, Ms. Xiang. Like I said, I hate to ask, but..." "No worries, I understand." She once again interrupted him.

"Right." Said Owen, politely smiling at her as she did the same. He didn't particularly like making a big deal of his condition; it had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember and he had learned to live with it as best he could, so he appreciated that she seemed to be understanding of it.

"So, how're you feeling now?" She eventually asked him.

“Knackered.” He answered after a noticeable inhale.

"I'd imagine so. So, I see. I’m guessing the air quality going down the drain today didn’t do you any favors either, huh?” Placing a hand on her hip, she relaxed her demeanor somewhat while asking this.

“Not in the slightest. Though I imagine I’m not exactly unique in that regard.” He said in response, himself relaxing somewhat.

“Maybe not. But you be sure to take care of yourself, okay? Next time we see each-other I'll be sure to take it easier on the perfume." She told him.

"And until then, can I expect to hear from you again?" He asked her.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll be in touch." The two of them looked at each-other for a little while longer, both of them smiling. “Good evening, Mr. Diedrich.” She eventually said.

“Good evening, Ms. Xiang.” He responded back.

After this, she finally stepped out the classroom, allowing him to close the door. Letting out an amused scoff at the exchange that had just occurred, he turned to return to his desk, using his newfound solitude to reflect upon the bygone meeting. In comparison to many of his previous encounters with visiting parents, this one had gone remarkably smoothly. It had been a simple, understanding exchange of concerns; in the end, it seemed like both of them walked away knowing exactly what needed to be done. The same couldn’t be said for some others.

It was clear to him now that he had quite the task ahead of him and if he was going to succeed in it, he couldn't do it alone. If Li-Fen was to succeed, she would need her mother's help just as much as she needed his.

~~~~~

_Several weeks later._

As she stirred the rice and accompanying ingredients in the pan, Chun-Li nervously gazed back at the cookbook in fear she missed something important. She thankfully hadn’t caused any fires as of late, but she still had quite a bit of practice ahead of her before she could do this consistently. Having grown so accustomed to surviving on fruit, pre-cooked meals and occasional sweets hadn’t done her any favors, but at the time, it seemed like that was all she would ever be able to do. At least, until _he_ was finally gone.

Bison. Every time she thought he had finally been weeded out, he somehow managed to come back. She had been pursuing him since she was eighteen years old; she was thirty-one now and it seemed that he and Shadaloo were gone for good. And now that it was done; now that her father and everyone else who had been killed and tormented during Shadaloo’s reign of terror had been avenged, she found herself asking a simple question.

Now what?

It was something she should’ve asked herself years ago, but as she spent more than a decade on Bison’s tail, she didn’t even consider what she would do if or when she finally caught him. Guile and Ken, they had their families to return to. Cammy, she had her “sisters” to look after. Ryu, well-he would continue doing what he always did.

So where did that leave her? She had no real family to return to, no-one to look after and despite how important martial arts were to her, she wasn’t prepared to become a hermit and dedicate her entire life to training. Then, when she least expected it, Bison had indirectly led her to the answer.

“Um, Chun-Li?” She heard a voice call out from the other side of the kitchen.

“Oh, hi Li-Fen. If it’s alright, could you maybe come over and help me? Wouldn’t want a repeat of “the incident”, would we?” She heard Li-Fen giggle. She always did whenever she brought it up.

“Yeah, okay.” She agreed and made her way over to the stove, setting a stool down just beside her. “I thought you said you were getting better?” Chun-Li could tell she was teasing her, but she couldn’t help but smile.

“I am. But better safe than sorry, right?” She didn’t know how, but Li-Fen turned out to be a pretty good chef. She was sure most parents would’ve been embarrassed if their kids had to teach them how to cook, but in all honesty, she quite enjoyed the process. It gave them something they could both do together outside of training.

It’s been almost three months since she first took her in. More likely than not, her parents had been killed and the only thing that they left her were plans of a plot they hatched with another programmer to sabotage Bison’s penultimate plan. By some miracle, it all fell into motion. In a way, she was more to thank for Shadaloo’s fall than any of the people who fought against them, including herself.

But her time as Shadaloo’s prisoner still haunted her. Years of her life had been stolen from her: she was severely behind in school, she hadn’t learned how to interact with children her own age and any chance of her having a normal childhood had been dashed. She had tried to catch her up as best she could, including teaching her the differences between Mandarin and Cantonese, but in other subjects like maths, she wasn’t as helpful, not just because she wasn’t exactly well-versed in it, but because there just wasn’t enough time for her to learn everything she needed.

She maintained her position as a member of the Hong Kong police force, just like her father before her. She also maintained her connections to Interpol, but had to cancel any assignments involving international travel. Regardless though, the job ended up eating away at her time, working longer hours so she could make enough to adequately support the both of them. As a result, she found herself finding less and less time to spend with Li-Fen, but whenever she did get the opportunity, she made sure to dedicate every moment to her.

Now would be such a time.

“So, was there something you wanted to talk about?” Chun-Li asked as she stirred their upcoming meal.

“Do you remember that English project I’m supposed to do?” Li-Fen soon said.

“The presentation? What about it?” She remembered that it was supposed to be a sort of instruction she had to give to the class, so she already knew Li-Fen was dreading having to do it.

“Well, Mr. Diedrich had me meet with him today to ask what I wanted to do. And, I…” She looked almost too embarrassed to speak.

“And what? What did you tell him?” Chun-Li gently asked her. After a few more moments of silence, Li-Fen revealed the answer.

“I said I wanted to show everyone how to do Tai Chi. You know, kind of like you did.” This was certainly not something Chun-Li expected to hear. Would she even be allowed to do something like that?

“And he said he’d let you do that?” In response, Li-Fen nodded silently.

Chun-Li smiled, thinking back to the deal she made with Mr. Diedrich on the evening of their conference. He had said he would help Li-Fen to step out of her comfort zone, which a project like this would certainly do. Other than that, though, she found it touching that Li-Fen seemed to enjoy their training enough to share it with other people.

Li-Fen said she wanted to be strong, just like her. They’d only started a few months ago and she had spent that time teaching her Tai Chi, just like her father did when her own training had started. That had been her dream too when she was a girl; to be strong, just like her dad. Yet as she grew older, she gained even more appreciation for the styles he taught her, knowing that he taught them to her at a time when they were under siege in their ancestral Chinese homeland. It was why her grandparents had moved here to Hong Kong and why her father had served the city so valiantly while he was alive.

The situation wasn’t as dire as it once was, but Chun-Li had pledged to ensure China’s martial arts would live on. It would be one of many ways she would honor him.

“It’s ready, by the way.” Li-Fen pointed out as her attention was turned away from the food.

“Oh, right.” She took the pan by the handle and guided it away from the stove before anything unfortunate happened. It looked good; not great by any means, but it was progress.

“What do you think? Is it safe to eat?” She asked Li-Fen, who came over to look at it.

“I’d say so.” She answered, which brought a certain sense of relief to her. “Want me to go set the table?” Li-Fen offered soon after.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.” With a smile, Li-Fen set about getting out the cutlery and bringing over a small pitcher of lime-flavored water while Chun-Li poured her attempt at making fried rice onto two plates. Soon enough, the two of them were settled in for dinner and Chun-Li chose to reintroduce the subject.

“You should go talk to him; Mr. Diedrich, I mean. I’m sure he would be happy to help you prepare.” Li-Fen looked up from her food at her, as if the very notion was unthinkable to her.

“Sh…should I? I wouldn’t want to take away from his time.” Chun-Li couldn’t help but smile at her insinuation.

“Aren't you still nervous about it?” She asked.

“Yeah, a little.” Was what she said in response, but Chun-Li knew that it meant that she was absolutely dreading the day she had to present.

“The I'm sure he can help you prepare. It’s part of his job, you know. You won’t be wasting his time if you ask him a few questions.” She pointed out, hoping that it would convince her.

“I know, but I…don’t really know what to ask.” Li-Fen admitted and after thinking for a moment, Chun-Li thought off a sort of solution.

“When are you scheduled to go?” She asked just to be sure.

“Next Friday, I’m pretty sure.” Li-Fen answered.

“Hmm. Okay, how about this. We come up with a rough draft over the next few days and you go on after school sometime next week to see if he can help you rehearse.” It was a rather straightforward plan, but hopefully it would work.

“You mean you’ll help?” Li-Fen asked, traces of relief on her face.

“I’ll help you put some of it together. But what I want you to do is to go see Mr. Diedrich on your own.” Chun-Li could see her daughter grow uneasy yet again. “Do you think you can do that?” She posed the question in a way that didn’t make her feel like she was being coerced.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll try.” Li-Fen eventually conceded. For whatever reason, Chun-Li thought she seemed reluctant.

“If you don’t mind me asking, are you…okay with him? Does he scare you or anything like that?” She wasn’t exactly sure how to phrase the question, but she wanted to at least know why she was so hesitant to approach him.

“Oh, no. Mr. Diedrich is always very nice to us; I like him. And, I…I think the way he talks is kind of funny.” She smiled as she recognized what Li-Fen was referring to. She had noticed very quickly into her initial meeting with him that he spoke with a noticeable accent, one that admittedly suited him quite well.

“Chun-Li, this may be strange, but… does everyone from Canada talk like him?” Now there was a question she hadn’t been expecting. She’d worked with several Canadians during her time in Interpol, and none of them had anything resembling the accent he had. Her first guess was that he was from somewhere in the U.K like Cammy was and she had been partly right, in the sense that he was descended from people that were.

“No, I…don’t think so.” She answered. If nothing else, her unfamiliarity with the world at large was endearing. “So, besides him “talking funny”, is there anything else that’s keeping you from seeing him?”

For a moment, it looked like Li-Fen was questioning whether she should say anything at all, but she eventually chose to speak.

“Well, I noticed that on the same days he looks—tired.” Chun-Li experienced a twinge of concern, remembering what Owen had told her when she had last seen him.

“Tired? In what way?” She asked in order to get a better gauge on it.

“I’m not sure how to explain it, but on those days, he teaches as he usually does, but something about it just doesn’t feel right. Like he’s not really _t_ _here_ or something like that. I just…don’t want to bother him when that happens, you know?”

“I see.” Chun-Li eventually said.

After taking a moment to think about what Li-Fen said, she seemed to realize what could be the cause of this sort of behavior. Either it was his condition acting up or maybe it was just that he had come down with a case of homesickness, seeing as he was from overseas and she assumed, didn’t really know anyone in the city. It was hard enough for locals to find time to socialize here, but for someone like him, it was probably daunting.

“Does he seem like this often?” Chun-Li inquired.

“I can’t say. If he is, he does a very good job of hiding it; when he’s teaching, he always looks like he’s having fun." Li-Fen suddenly started smiling. "By the way, did I tell you what he did when he first told us about this project?” 

“No, I don’t think you did. What happened?” This prompted Li-Fen to start her story.

“All right, so, what he wanted to do was show us an example what sort of thing he was expecting. And then he took out a fiddle.” Chun-Li had to stop herself from spitting out her water.

“A fiddle?” She repeated in minor disbelief.

“Yeah. Gave instructions on how to play a song on it too. Apparently, that was his idea of showing us what _not_ to do. Then after he was done, someone asked him if he could play another song.” She didn’t reveal the outcome of that request and for whatever reason, Chun-Li found herself wanting to know what happened next.

“Well, did he?” Li-Fen didn’t answer and instead, burst into laughter, which gave away the answer on its own.

Chun-Li had been smiling throughout the whole story and when Li-Fen started laughing, she couldn’t help but join in. Clearly, Mr. Diedrich had a rather unique teaching style. Truth be told, she had found herself rather intrigued by him; she had met with several of Li-Fen’s instructors and out of all of them, she had found him to be the most approachable of the bunch. He really gave off the impression that he cared for Li-Fen’s welfare, whatever that meant.

“You know, Li-Fen, I think you coming to see him might actually make him feel better. I’d imagine teachers like it when their students show they value their advice.” She suggested and Li-Fen’s expression brightened somewhat.

“You really think so?” She asked, still seeming a bit doubtful. “Yeah, I do.” Chun-Li said with a slight smile. Seeing as they had both finished their dinner by that point, she decided they should get started while the thought was still fresh in their minds.

“There’s still some time before bed. How about we go pick out what moves you’re going to show?” She said after standing up from his chair.

“Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Chun-Li!” Li-Fen excitedly said.

“Any time. Now, come on. Help me clean and we can get started.” And so, they did just that. With any luck, Chun-Li hoped that Li-Fen's meeting with her teacher would be a productive one. 

After all, she recognized that Li-Fen's success hinged just as much on his help as it did on hers. 


	2. Chapter 2

_A few days later._

Walking down the hallways of her primary school, Li-Fen made her way to Mr. Diedrich’s classroom on her lonesome. The hallways were mostly empty, save for a few students in the process of leaving themselves, whom she purposefully avoided.

Li-Fen felt stressed, even more so then she felt most days. Aside from the typical worries she carried when going through the day, she had an assignment coming up, one she was undeniably worried about. She had taken her medication in the morning as was instructed and took some time to perform some breathing exercises that she had been taught to keep her worries at bay, but today, nothing seemed to work. What’s worse, she had forgotten the stuffed panda Ms. Chun-Li had gotten her at home. Holding onto it helped her calm down throughout the day, even if she had to do it in private.

Throughout the process, Li-Fen eyes instinctively wandered and she found herself looking over her shoulder to make sure no-one was following her. This sense of hyper-vigilance had followed her ever since those unfortunate events that transpired several months ago; her and her parents being held captive at the hands of that…horrible organization and being forced to help them in furthering their schemes. It all seemed so long ago now, but that didn’t change anything. Her parents were still dead, she still carried the guilt of playing any part-unwilling or otherwise- in their plans and she still remembered the times she was forced to spend alone, hiding from them in their claustrophobic and metallic facility.

That facility…

Li-Fen suddenly heard someone coughing, causing her to freeze in her tracks. First, a feeling of dread gripped her, as her mind instantly and almost involuntarily made a conclusion as to who had made that all too familiar sound. And it horrified her.

The next time Li-Fen blinked, it was if she wasn’t in the same place anymore. It looked different, smelled different and the only thing that she could hear now was coughing…horrible, choking coughing that made her feel sick to the stomach just hearing it.

She found herself frozen in place; her heart racing; every part of her body and soul completely overtaken by shock. She didn’t want to believe what was unfolding in front of her was real; her parents, both desperately gasping for air as the poison gradually shut down their bodies. All it had taken was a scratch across the face, and already it had taken a deadly effect.

And then, she heard that winging, high-pitched laugh.

“ _Ah-ha-ha-ha. Do you see now what happens to those who betray Lord Bison?! Or do I need to prove my point even further?”_

Every fibre of her being burned with hatred upon hearing that monster’s voice. He had held them captive for years, forcing her parents to work in furtherance of his plan. And there he was, prancing around her dying mother and father, the poison he had used on them dripping from his palms and flying in small droplets with every movement of his arms.

By now, Li-Fen had sunk to her knees, looking on helplessly as her parents slipped closer towards death’s door.

Li-Fen cried out. “Help them!! I’ll tell you everything! I’ll do anything, please…just help them!! Make it stop!!” She begged despite knowing it was no use. He wanted them dead… _needed_ them dead.

The man sharply turned his head towards her and Li-Fen froze in petrified fear. She didn’t make a sound, holding her breath as the man in purple slowly walked toward her, stopping just by her barely breathing father.

_“Hmm, he does look like he’s in a lot of pain, doesn’t he?”_ He said in a mocking tone while kneeling down just beside him. “ _Yes. I believe he’s learned his lesson.”_ He jammed his poison-tipped hand straight into her father’s chest.

“NO!!!” Li-Fen cried out. Almost immediately, her father stopped breathing almost immediately after and his body began to dissolve into a nauseating pile of purple liquid.

She firmly shut her eyes and started weakly sobbing. Her heart was racing; her body was trembling; she was struggling to breathe as it felt like her throat was blocked. But despite all that, Li-Fen felt almost numb. She had never felt more helpless, more _useless_ than she did at that moment. They used her as leverage; they were only dead now because they used her to make them cooperate.

And she couldn’t hear them anymore. All she heard were footsteps making their way towards her.

“ _Oh, do not weep for them, child. They made a grave mistake, well aware of the risks it presented.”_ Li-Fen’s grief gave way to anger. Anger towards the man currently mocking her and towards herself for being unable to do anything to stop him. Alas, it was anger she couldn’t express: she couldn’t scream and she couldn’t lash out. For she was completely at his mercy.

“ _Now, unless you want to join them sooner rather than later, you’ll tell me who else is on this scheme they’ve concocted behind Lord Bison’s back.”_ His voice was dangerously close to her now. “ _You can hear me, can’t you, Li-Fen? Li-Fen? Li_ -Fen, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” Much to Li-Fen’s surprise, the voice of her captor was gradually replaced with a softer, more comforting one.

Li-Fen’s eyes remained shut. Still breathing heavily, she noticed that she wasn’t breathing the suffocating air of Shadaloo’s metallic facility, but rather that of an entirely different location. The air around her was still relatively humid, but it felt natural.

“That’s it, Li-Fen. Breathe. Slow, steady breaths.” The familiar voice said. She slowed down her breathing, which helped calm her racing heart somewhat and lessened her fear. “I know you’re scared, Li-Fen. I know you’re scared, but you’re safe here. You’re safe.” The voice continued to reassure her.

Eventually, she managed to get to the point where it felt like both her feet were firmly in the present moment. And without even opening her eyes, she now understood that she wasn’t at the base after all. Cautiously opening them and looking from side to side, she found that - sure enough - she was in the middle of her school’s hallway.

“Hey there, Li-Fen.” She looked to the side to find a man with dirty blonde hair - her homeform teacher - crouching just beside her and softly smiling. Despite this, Li-Fen could see concern in his eyes.

“I think we think we should get you out of here. Would you like to go into my classroom?” She didn’t say anything.

“Mm-hmm” She quietly uttered as an answer.

“Alright. Come on.” He said as he carefully helped her to her feet. It was only a short walk to his classroom and Li-Fen kept her head low the entire way there, not saying a word to her accompanying teacher even as they entered the classroom.

Despite its relatively small size, it felt less restrictive than just about anywhere else Li-Fen had been, besides her new home. A dehumidifier was running in the background and the room was almost free of dust, which he had organized to help keep his own condition under control.

“Would you like to sit down?” He gently asked after they had entered. After she didn’t answer and simply stood in silence, Mr. Diedrich walked past her and knelt down so he was at her level. “I don’t want to come off as demanding…it’s just best that we get you comfortable. Can I get you something, Li-Fen; some water, maybe?”

Despite it supposedly being over, the things she had seen were still fresh in her mind. And she was still scared, just as she had been that day. And one of the things she had been afraid of most was thinking that she’d be stuck there for the rest of her life…what little remained of it, considering they had all but destroyed it.

Without saying a word, she walked a few steps forward until her head was on Mr. Diedrich’s shoulder and just like that, she started crying again. But it wasn’t the guttural sobbing she had done earlier. This time it was quieter and marred in shame. Shame knowing that she had gotten a second chance at life that her parents did not.

“Hey, hey. You’re okay, Li-Fen.” He said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He had clearly not been expecting the gesture, but that didn’t deter her; she just wanted to be sure she wasn’t alone again.

“It was horrible…I saw….he….” She began to utter, her fear and confusion now replaced with a feeling of guilt.

“I understand. Take all the time you need.” He said before she even finished.

Li-Fen held onto him until she heard footsteps coming from outside in the hall, causing her to look behind her and find a girl around her age entering the room. She instinctively tightened her hold on her teacher.

“Easy, easy…she’s not going to hurt you.” He gently assured her. “Couldn’t find the nurse, Lian?” He inquired.

“No, sorry. I checked her office and asked around where I could, but they told me she’s already left.” The girl-who Li-Fen found strangely familiar- explained.

“Hmm…that’s unfortunate.” He turned to look at her. “You think you’re better now, Li-Fen?” He calmly asked, to which she nodded.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m better.” She said.

“Now, are you sure you wouldn’t like me to get you anything; a glass of water perhaps?” Her teacher politely asked.

“Sure. I’d like that.” She said, only just now realizing how dry her throat felt in the aftermath.

“Alright. Have a seat in the meantime.” He led her over to the nearest chair. “If you’re willing, Lian, can I ask that you stay with her for a little bit while I go fetch some water for her?” The girl was mildly surprised by the request, but it didn’t take long for her to answer.

“Of course.” She answered and Li-Fen was about to protest, but decided against it. She just didn’t have the energy.

“Thank you.” He waited for her to sit down. “Now, I’m going to go fetch you some water. Lian here will stay with you until I come back. Try to rest a little until then, okay?” Her teacher told her once she was settled in.

“Okay.” She agreed, after which he turned to leave the classroom, leaving her alone with the other girl.

A silence fell over the classroom, with Lian remaining standing just by Mr. Diedrich’s desk. Li-Fen started to sniffle and wiped her nose with her sleeve, which prompted the girl to bring over a box of tissues. Li-Fen looked up at her to find she was smiling at her, making a silent insistent gesture for her to take the tissues.

“Thanks…” She managed to say before accepting the offering and blowing her nose. While she did this, Lian sat down opposite her.

“So, uh… are you feeling better?” Li-Fen looked up at her, finding herself at odds about what to say.

“I guess.” She said before looking down again.

“Your name’s Li-Fen, right?” She nodded. “Do you maybe want to talk? About whatever…caused that.” She took on a relatively comforting tone, but Li-Fen didn’t feel much like talking.

“Not really.” She answered, hoping to keep the memories at bay. She didn’t want it starting up again.

“Okay, well…maybe another time?” Throughout this entire awkward exchange, Li-Fen had yet to meet the other girl’s eyes.

“Maybe.” She replied, embarrassed to be admitting this at all.

“Right.” The girl acknowledged. Suddenly, a smile found its way onto her face.

“Hmm, I know.” Li-Fen watched as the other girl reached into her knapsack and took out some sort of yellow object. Upon closer inspection, she could see that it was made out of paper. “Here. For you.” Lian said as she presented the object to her. Li-Fen observed it with a confused look before taking it from her.

“What is it?” Li-Fen asked after she had inspected it for a little bit.

“Oh, you’ve never seen one of these? It’s supposed to be a type of gold ingot that used to be used in China; a _syce_ e, they’re called. I know it isn’t much, but… they’re used to represent upcoming fortune… and yellow is supposed to be a lucky color.” After Lian finished her explanation, Li-Fen took another look down at the craft in her hands.

“Oh, well…thank you.” She set the paper _sycee_ down on her desk and as she did, a small question crossed her mind. “Do you…carry a bunch of these around with you?” She asked in genuine curiosity and thankfully, Lian reacted with a small laugh.

“Of course not. I made that one just a little while ago. I was just seeing Mr. Diedrich so I could make a final decision on what I’ll be doing for Friday.” This caught Li-Fen’s attention.

“What’re you supposed to do Friday?” She asked.

“A presentation. We’re supposed to pick out something we enjoy and create a sort of “tutorial” for the class to go through. It’s sort of silly, but it sounds like it will be pretty fun. Better than reading Shakespeare or Wilde passages, if you ask me.” Lian explained.

“Yeah, I guess.” After a little while, Li-Fen got an idea to confirm her suspicion. “Say…you wouldn’t happen to also have a small journal…” She reached into her knapsack and pulled out a small book that Mr. Diedrich had given his students on the first day of school “…like this one?” Lian’s expression suddenly lit up in what appeared to be realization. She reached into her own knapsack and pulled out an identical looking book.

“So, we are in the same class, then. I knew there was a reason you seemed so familiar.” Li-Fen forced herself to smile.

“Yeah, I remember now. You sit a few seats behind me, left-side row. And come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak before.” Li-Fen experienced a sudden surge of embarrassment and didn’t say anything in response, all while hoping she wasn’t blushing. And all the while, she was wondering where on earth Mr. Diedrich was.

“You alright there?” Lian asked, taking notice of her silence.

“Yeah, just…can I ask you to do something…uh…” She drew a blank, briefly forgetting the other girl’s name.

“Mei-Lian, but just Lian’s fine too.” She finished for her.

“Right. Sorry.” She continued. “Anyway, Lian …how much did you see?” 

“You mean off your…episode?” The other girl said, seemingly unsure of what it was she saw. “I just heard someone screaming, which turned out to be you. I didn’t see much of what happened after-Mr. Diedrich sent me to go get the school nurse- but…I could see you were crying.” She explained.

“And I haven’t seen anyone crying like that, since…” She started to say, but appeared to reconsider mid-sentence. “Well, never mind that. But I could tell it was serious.” Li-Fen sat quietly twiddling her thumbs for a little while before making a simple request.

“Please don’t tell anyone.” Li-Fen repeated her request, and judging from the look on Lian’s face, she understood why she was asking.

“Sure thing. I’ll keep my mouth shut. You won’t hear a word being spoken about it unless you want to share it at the lunch table or something…” Li-Fen briefly laughed.

“Fat chance…” She said. Just as it seemed that Lian was going to say something else, Mr. Diedrich returned, a glass of water in hand.

“Alright, here you are.” He said as he handed her the glass.

“Thank you.” She expressed as she accepted it. Taking a sip of the water, Li-Fen almost immediately felt a sense of relief from the stress brought about by the sudden outburst.

“You’re free to go now, Lian. I know our meeting ended rather suddenly and well…eventfully, but I think you’re on the right track with what you want to do.” Mr. Diedrich said to the other girl.

“Alright, sir.” She picked up her knapsack and stood up. But before she moved to leave, she took one more look at Li-Fen and smiled. “I guess I’ll see you later, Li-Fen. I hope you get better.” Li-Fen weakly smiled back.

“Yeah. See you later.” Lian exited the classroom, leaving her alone with Mr. Diedrich.

“How are you keeping?” Her teacher asked as he took a seat opposite her.

“Okay. Better, at least.” After taking another minute to build up her courage, she took a deep breath and started talking again.

“Mr. Diedrich, I’m…I’m so sorry that this happened.” She earnestly tried to apologize for wasting his time as he sat opposite her on a chair.

“You don’t need to apologize, Li-Fen. These sorts of things happen to people with your condition. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He said, no doubt in an attempt to reassure her.

“I know, but…all I was here to do was ask for help. And all I ended up doing was wasting your time. That’s all I am; a waste of everyone’s time.” As she said this to him, Li-Fen’s voice was low and downcast.

“Come now, don’t say that. You know that isn’t true.” He said without so much as raising his voice. His expression hadn’t shifted from concerned, yet comforting one he wore throughout the whole process.

“Why do I have to be like this, Mr. Diedrich? I want to be normal. Really, I do. But instead I’m weak and pathetic and need to be coddled all the time. All because of _him_ …because he…” She stopped herself, not wanting to give them any more thought.

“May I see your journal?” Li-Fen looked up in mild confusion.

“What?” She asked.

“Your journal. May I see it?” He repeated himself. She handed over the small book to him, but for whatever reason, he didn’t open it. Instead he simply held in his hands.

“You know…I had one of these when I was a kid.” He said while holding it up on display. “It was from a suggestion my doctor made, that I should keep a journal to document the symptoms of my asthma…whether it was getting better or worse, that kind of thing. And I had enough to say about it that I was writing in it almost every day.” Li-Fen noticed that the smile on his face while he was talking was only half-baked.

“Was it bad?” He nodded.

“Pretty bad. I spent a whole lot of time in bed sick and I’d always have it on hand. Except, at some point, I started not only writing about the asthma itself, but also more about how it made me feel inside. I was-angry that I couldn’t do the things other kids could do without collapsing in a heap; I was sad because I could hardly go outside or do anything fun; I was scared never knowing when or whether the next attack would come and if I would die because of it.” He looked up before continuing.

“I was ashamed of myself. Ashamed…for something that I had no control over. And it was all I seemed to think about. Thinking about how pathetic I was; how I’d never amount to anything because of it. I thought that for a very long time and that journal of mine…” He opened up Li-Fen’s journal and flipped through the first few pages, showing them to her.

“The first few pages of that would be the most depressing thing you’d ever get the displeasure of reading.” He stopped a certain page, not saying anything as she looked at her latest entry.

“And what happened next?” She asked.

“Well, I kept writing in it. But as time went on, it became less about my asthma and more about the things that happened in my life. How I went swimming for the first time; me thinking up potential names for the new parakeet my family got; wondering how the funny man on the T.V knew about so many different types of cheeses and other things young me was intrigued by. And the more pages I went through, the less my asthma started to pop up in my writing.” His tone was much more upbeat now that he was talking about this.

“But…it never fully disappeared either. Every now and again, it would come back to take up space on the pages, but it would soon be swept up by a wave of things I’ve been doing and things I was going to do. Still, asthma was an important part of that little story I wrote in that journal…but it became less and less important as it went on.” As he finished up, he handed the journal back to Li-Fen, who looked at it with a sense of new understanding.

“That there, Li-Fen…that’s your own little story.” He said while pointing at the journal. “This thing you’re going through right now, it’ll take up it’s fair share of pages, but it won’t be the whole book. And I hope by the time you write the last word, it’ll be a story with a happy ending.” He leaned forward in his seat, meeting her eyes with an understanding smile.

“And don’t forget, there are people who want you to get there… and will do anything they can to help you get there.”

The next few moments were spent in silence as Li-Fen mulled over her teacher’s words, which was only interrupted when he heaved a heavy sigh and leaned back in his seat.

“So…any questions?” He asked in a more light-hearted fashion.

“No, I understand. At least, I think I do…” He chuckled and shook his head.

“Ah, see. I knew there was a reason I got this job.” Li-Fen smiled and shifted her hands.

Most of her thoughts were focused on the things Mr. Diedrich had said to her. It was true that she sometimes felt that the things that had happened to her under Shadaloo were the only things that mattered about her and that she’d never really outgrow them, which may very well be true. Still, that didn’t mean she didn’t have her entire life ahead of her or that she wouldn’t eventually overcome it.

“Now, would you like me to call your mother to come pick you up?” She nodded, knowing that it wouldn’t take long for her to arrive. She had agreed to wait not far from the school while she went in for help. “Alright. I’ll only be a moment.” He said before walking off to do just that.

Li-Fen heard only traces of the ensuing call. Mr. Diedrich informed Ms. Chun-Li about what happened, told her she was safe and asked that she come over to get her. There were instances where she heard him saying a few reassuring words, no doubt to make sure she remained calm, which made her smile only if just a little. She tended to get rather worried about her.

“She said she’s on her way. Now all that’s left is for us to wait a bit until she gets here.” He announced after the call had ended and he moved to sit back down opposite her.

“Forgive me for asking, Li-Fen, but can you say for certain what it was that triggered your flashback?” She looked up nervously. “Knowing that will help us prevent something similar from happening in the future.” He explained to encourage her to answer, but it was a little while before she caved.

“I heard someone... coughing, sir.” She nervously twiddled her thumbs upon giving him this answer.

“Coughing, you say? Hmm…” He stroked his chin with his hand. “I didn’t know that could trigger it.” He stated.

“Me neither, sir.” She admitted. It was to be expected; from what she had heard, even things that she didn’t subconsciously remember could set off her PTSD.

“I see.” Mr. Diedrich appeared to be at a loss for what to say. “Well…that’s something your mother would surely like to know. We’ll figure out what exactly this entails for you later.” He said, which brought about a certain sense of uncertainty to Li-Fen. Instead of saying anything more, she simply nodded.

“I’m not kicking you out of my class right this moment, if that’s what you’re afraid of. We’ll see what your mother has to say and work from there.” He said, almost as if he was reading her mind.

"Okay." She eventually said.

“Anyhow, I remember you saying you were meaning to come in for help. What about?” He said after a brief interlude of silence.

“My presentation, sir. I wanted to rehearse a rough-draft I made over the weekend.” She explained.

“That so?” Mr. Diedrich said.

“Yeah. And I admit, I’ve been very nervous about it and well…everything for the last few days. More so than usual.” She admitted, keeping her eyes low.

"Well, in that case what do you say we try this again after you've rested up - let's say on Monday?" He offered, which somewhat surprised her.

"You'd be okay with that, sir?" "Of course. You come to me sometime before the end of the day and we’ll have a chat about it; figure out if we need to move it back or anything of that sort. Though, if I were to give any advice, I think you should try coming at lunch this time.” Li-Fen thought about it for a moment. She didn't see anything particularly wrong about his offer, but that didn't mean she was keen on the idea of risking another flashback.

"But when are you going to eat?" She asked just to be sure.

“Don’t worry about it, eh? Just come by whenever you think is best - I'll work around it." He said in reply. After giving it some more thought, Li-Fen eventually came to a decision.

"Okay. I'll try." She eventually agreed.

"Well, alright. I guess it's a plan, then." Li-Fen nodded in response, with her teacher warmly smiling at her.

“You know? I think I’ve spoken more than enough. How would you feel about a little music?” He said while getting up from his seat and walking over to his desk.

“Music?” Li-Fen asked, her mind immediately jumping to a certain recent memory.

By the time she asked this, Mr. Diedrich was standing behind his desk, smiling as he leaned over it. Reaching below his desk, he lifted up the casing where he kept his fiddle, setting it out on display on his desk as Li-Fen’s expression lit up with delight. 

“So? You up for it?”

~~~~

After pulling into the parkway of Li-Fen’s primary school, Chun-Li stepped out of the discrete Ford Mondeo model vehicle provided to her by the department and moved to enter the building. Receiving that call had been the last thing she wanted to experience today; at first, she thought that Li-Fen has simply finished earlier than expected, but seeing Mr. Diedrich’s work number on her screen immediately told her something had gone wrong.

She had a flashback. It had been one of her major worries when she had started going to school, the ever-present possibility of something bringing the memories of her imprisonment flooding back and having nobody there to properly help her through it. They still didn’t know for certain what set her off, but the specialist they had seen said that these triggers could be just about anything, even something the patient remembered only subconsciously.

Despite her incessant worry, Mr. Diedrich has assured her she was alright. She remembered him telling her about how his grandad had the condition as well and she was sure he knew what he was doing, but it was probably best that she get to her as quickly as she could. Heaven only knew how Li-Fen must be feeling right now.

As she approached his classroom, she heard a sort of faint, melodic sound coming from it. Stopping just a few paces away from the door, Chun-Li could now distinctly make out the sound of an instrument being played, as well as an accompanying clapping. She shook her head in amused disbelief, suppressing a laugh as she remembered the story Li-Fen had told her at the dinner table a few nights ago.

She looked inside and sure enough, she found that Mr. Diedrich was playing away at the fiddle like a mad man, with Li-Fen steadily clapping along to the song. He took notice of her presence, prompting her to motion for him to keep going. Leaning against the door frame, she looked on with a wide smile on her face.

Chun-Li hadn’t properly seen him since their conference a few weeks ago, but he surely left an impression on her. For one, he was a good head taller than her, which wasn’t as obvious now that he was seated. He was also on the lean side as far as appearances go; it was clear he took care of himself, but not to the extreme as many men she’d run into over the years, not that she was complaining. Overexposure was a very real thing.

All that aside, what really caught her eye then was how natural what he was doing at that moment felt. His goal had clearly been to cheer Li-Fen up a little, which seemed to be working, but he also seemed so at home when he did it. It had been easy enough to assume he enjoyed working with children, but it was clear as day this was his comfort zone. Making kids smile.

He continued to play the simple, yet uplifting tune for a good half-minute longer and once he finished, Li-Fen gave him a round of applause, laughing all the while. Sensing it was an appropriate time, she herself began to clap, something which Li-Fen heard and turned to look in her direction.

“Feeling better, Li-Fen?” She asked soon after her presence was made known.

“Ye-yes ma’am.” She said, heat rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment. “How long have you been there?” Li-Fen asked.

“Oh, not too long. Just long enough to hear some of the show our friend here put on for you.” She said, gesturing in Mr. Diedrich’s direction. “And bravo to you, sir.” She complimented.

“Thank you, Mrs. Xiang.” He responded with an acknowledging nod. “Well, Li-Fen, I guess it’s about time we call it a day. Sorry things had to turn out the way they did.” He said to her, setting his instrument to the side.

“Yeah. Still, thanks for staying with me, sir. Really, it means a lot.” She said as the two of them stood up.

“My pleasure. Now, go on.” Li-Fen nodded before going over to grab her things and walking over to her. Her eyes were still a bit red from crying and her hair was a mess, but otherwise, it seemed like the effects of the flashback had mostly worn off. At least, the one’s she could see.

“Hey. You sure you’re alright now?” Chun-Li said as she knelt down to give her a hug.

“Uh-huh. Tired though…” She admitted, which made her smile.

“Bad day, huh?” Chun-Li softly asked as she continued to hold Li-Fen.

“Yeah. But…not all bad, though. I met somebody today, another girl. She was nice.” Li-Fen revealed, which caught her a bit by surprise.

“Really?” She said.

“Yep. She gave me this.” Li-Fen revealed a small yellow paper craft that Chun-Li recognized almost instantly.

“A _sycee?_ Yeah, that’s pretty nice. It means she wishes prosperity upon you.” She briefly explained.

“Do you think I’ll get it, Ms. Chun-Li?” Li-Fen asked.

“I sure hope so, Li-Fen.” She said, dispelling the doubtful thoughts running through her mind. 

“Come on then, let’s get out of here.” She heard Mr. Diedrich say. “I reckon by now we’re the only ones still in the building.” He walked past her towards the door, carrying his instrument case in one hand and slinging his brown leather bag over his other shoulder. He stopped to wait for them just by the door.

Looking back at Li-Fen, she opened her arms and arched her brow as an offer to carry her. Li-Fen stood in silent contemplation for just a moment, before she sighed in resignation.

“Alright, fine…” She agreed as she took a step forward to let Chun-Li carefully pick her up.

“Good girl.” Chun-Li said as she secured her in her arms.

Chun-Li promptly carried Li-Fen out of the classroom and stopped just besides her teacher, who locked the door behind him. After he was done, he straightened himself out and looked at them, appearing somewhat surprised they were still with him.

“I’m not under arrest, am I?” He said as he raised his hands in mock surrender. She couldn’t stop an amused sigh from escaping her lips.

“No…but I would still like to escort you out of the building. And, well…say thank you for what you did.” Mr. Diedrich briefly laughed, before reaching down to pick up his instrument case.

“No need for thanks, Ms. Xiang. Any sensible person would’ve done the same, no doubt.” He said as the three of them began walking down the hall. After walking in silence for a few moments, her attention centered on the instrument he was holding.

“So…do you also teach music or…what?” Chun-Li inquired, to which Mr. Diedrich’s immediate response was an amused chuckle.

“Nah. It’s more of a… prized hobby, if you will. Been doing it since I was six or seven years old.” He revealed while slightly lifting his instrument up.

“That long?” She said, more than a little impressed.

“Yes, ma’am.” He responded rather proudly.

“Who taught you how to play, Mr. Diedrich?” Li-Fen suddenly asked. Owen didn’t respond straight away.

“My granddad. He…he was very good with it.” Him saying this caused a noticeable shift in his tone from a humorous to slightly more somber. Chun-Li suddenly remembered how he mentioned his grandfather in their last meeting.

“So I see. He must be a great teacher, too.” She chose her words more carefully this time, not wanting to cast a downer on things.

“Yeah. The best…” He said in agreement, his voice noticeably lower. Soon afterwards, he strengthened himself out. “Well, what would we be without our family?” He said soon after.

“Indeed.” She said.

By now, they were close to the front doors. Mr. Diedrich went ahead and opened one of them, courteously holding it open for her and Li-Fen to pass through it. Chun-Li briefly paused before continuing forward, silently nodding her thanks as she passed.

"Oh, and Ms. Xiang? Before we part ways, can I speak to you in private for just a minute? There's something I need to tell you." Mr. Diedrich suddenly asked her as they got close to her car. Chun-Li looked over to Li-Fen to confirm, who after appearing somewhat hesitant for a few moments nodded her consent.

"Sure thing." She answered. After nodding at her, Mr. Diedrich looked over to Li-Fen and smiled at her before opening the back door of her car.

“You go on home and get some rest, okay? I'll see you later." He said to her.

“I’ll try. Bye, Mr. Diedrich!” Li-Fen said as Chun-Li carefully put her in the back seat of the car. After she closed the door, he silently motioned for her to follow him a little further away from the car, which she did. All throughout, she felt a lingering apprehension for whatever it was he needed to tell her.

"So, what's this about?" She asked him after they were some distance away. Turning to her, Mr. Diedrich let out a deep sigh.

"Okay, listen. It's about Li-Fen's flashback. From what she tells me, it was triggered when she heard someone's cough. My cough." Chun-Li's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you sure?" "I am. And as you no doubt understand, I can't guarantee you that it won't happen again." He said. Chun-Li took a moment to make sense of what she had just heard. They had already compiled a fairly extensive list of triggers for her condition, with the most obvious being anything related to skulls and the color purple. Still, she knew that the nature of PTSD would mean a new one would eventually spring up, but never could she have predicted it would come like this.

“Does this…change anything?” She asked him after a brief silence.

“Not unless you want it too. Me and Li-Fen talked about it for a bit, and she didn’t seem fond of the idea but…that’s something I’ll leave for the two of you to decide together. I’m obviously not asking for an answer right here and now, but give it some thought.” After he explained his proposition, Chun-Li pondered his words for a moment.

“Alright. We’ll do just that.” She agreed.

“In that case, let me know as soon as you can.” She nodded and just as it looked like they were going their separate ways, she heard him call out to her.

"Ms. Xiang, I'm...I'm sorry. Really, I am." Chun-Li stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at him. Everything from his words to his expressions showed her that he was genuinely regretful for what happened.

"You had no way to know. It wasn't your fault." She told him.

"Perhaps so, but that doesn't change the essence of what happened, does it." The two of them spared a glance back over to her car, where Li-Fen was still waiting for her. He had ended up hurting her today and even though he hadn't done so deliberately, it must've no doubt made him feel ashamed.

"You'd best get her home. And be sure to give me a call when you come to a decision, alright?" He soon asked her.

"Of course." She replied, but before he could turn away, she decided to stop him.

"I can't thank you enough for helping her. It really means a lot to me.” She said in earnest, causing him to look at her in surprise.

“Don’t mention it.” He said with a small smile. They stayed like that for a little while longer before he spoke up again. “I’d best be on my way. You both take care now.”

“Yeah, you too." Mr. Diedrich gestured his goodbye before turning around and walking off in the opposite direction. She watched him leaving for a few more seconds before walking around her car to get to the driver’s seat; once she was inside, she put the vehicle in gear and started pulling out of the parkway.

"Did he tell you what happened?" Looking into the rear-view mirror, she saw Li-Fen glancing in her direction, a downcast look on her face.

"He did." Chun-Li confirmed as she turned her attention back to the road.

"What're you going to do?" Was her next question. 

She let out a sigh. "I don't know yet. That's going to be something we'll have to figure out together." She responded, deciding to leave it at that for now. After neither of them said anything, Chun-Li tried to think of a way to cheer her up.

"Say, how’d you feel about maybe stopping by and grabbing something on the way back? It’ll be my treat.” She suggested.

“I think we should just go home…we can do that another time. Don’t forget that you promised we would practice today.” She reminded her.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t. And I didn’t say we needed to have it right away…we can save it for after.” To this, Li-Fen responded with a giggle.

“Assuming you’ll leave any for me, that is.” Chun-Li let out a mock exclamation of shock.

“What are you accusing me off, young lady?” She demanded in much the same joking tone as her.

“You know what.” She responded, causing her to shake her head and briefly laugh. Li-Fen tended to tease her like this at opportune moments, something she figured only ever happened when the two of them together.

“In all seriousness, Li-Fen, I’m really sorry I can’t be with you as much as I used to be. I know the past few months have been very hard for you.” She said, changing her tone to a much more professional one.

“That’s alright. I knew they would be…and not just for me.”

“What do you mean?” She asked her.

“That I know you’re worried about me…and constantly wondering if you’re doing right by me. And I guess…I guess _I’m_ worried that _you’re_ worried, if that makes any sense.”

Chun-Li didn’t say anything in response for the next little bit, instead taking some time to digest what Li-Fen had just said to her. It was true that she had been dealing with a constant nagging feeling that she wasn’t giving Li-Fen the attention she deserved and that she was failing her somehow, which was part of the reason she had gone to Mr. Diedrich for help.

Providing for the two of them had become another worry, leading to her taking longer hours at the department, which in turn made her worry that she was ignoring her and so on until an entire crazy quilt of doubts had formed in her mind. She’d lost sleep on many nights because of it.

“Li-Fen, that’s very sweet, but I promise you that I’m fine. I just…” Seeing as they found themselves at a spotlight when she started to say this, Chun-Li turned her head to look at her properly. “I want you to be happy. After everything that’s happened to you, you deserve nothing less.” She turned back to the road.

“I want you to be happy too, Ms. Chun-Li. You know that.” Li-Fen said to her.

“Then I guess we have a shared reason to try a little harder, don’t you think?” Li-Fen’s eyes travelled to the floor, but her soft smile didn’t fade.

“Yeah.” Was all she responded with. The two of them were quiet for the next little while, with the only noise being heard was the bustle of the city outside.

“I love you.” Chun-Li broke her focus from the road and looked back at Li-Fen, flashing her a warm smile.

“I love you, too, Li-Fen.”

~~~~

_A few days later._

An opened journal lay on a recently cleared dinner table, save for a glass of water, a plate of scones and a rather generic vase of flowers in the middle. Having finished eating, Owen set about recording his thoughts on the day gone by, just as he had done almost every day for the past two decades. It was like an intimate friend you could always tell how you’re feeling and recently, he had become much more appreciative of it.

He didn’t quite know what it was, but he felt overwhelmed in a way he hadn’t felt even on his hardest teaching days in Halifax. Everything still felt so new to him, even after a month and a half of living here. The expectations set for him - by students, parents and his superiors alike - seemed far higher than they’ve ever been; he learned quickly that competition was something that was very prevalent here.

Owen was interrupted from writing his journal entry by the sound of his electric kettle going off, prompting him to put down the pen and go over to turn it off before pouring the boiling water into a cup. Having just finished making and eating his dinner, he was ready to settle in for his nightly serving of licorice tea, which he had every night before bed. His asthma constantly threatened to act up when he tried to sleep, so any precaution he could take to prevent it was necessary.

Leaving the tea to settle for a few minutes, he moved away from his kitchen and into the relatively spacious living room of his serviced apartment. Finding adequate lodgings for his stay here had been among the most stressful parts of his contract, but his contractors had set him up with a fairly well-respected real estate company, which netted him a well-furnished, studio apartment in Fortress Hill for a reasonable price.

Owen figured that he owed his agent, Lee, a hearty thanks before his contract was up. Hong Kong real estate was a hell of an ocean to navigate.

With a heavy sigh, he walked over to his bedroom to pick up the book he was in the middle of reading. After picking it up from the nightstand by his bed, he returned to the living room and went to retrieve his tea, taking both items to a reading chair at the far end of the room. Taking a sip of the relieving drink before setting it down on a coaster on a left side table, which also had a reading lamp on it, Owen took a seat on the chair. However, his attention was first drawn to the table in front of him and the contents on it.

The first evident reminders of his Nova Scotian home were his two framed diplomas from Dalhousie University: two Bachelor’s Degrees in English and Mathematics respectively. The latter one he acquired as a way to keep his options open in terms of career paths, but the English language had remained his passion from a very young age.

Other than that, he kept many other things. Before he left on this assignment, each member of his family had pitched in to give him a small reminder of home to take with him.

His older sister and her husband both pitched in to get him a new pair of reading glasses, which he always kept on hand.

His young niece gave him a drawing off the two of them swimming, a common pastime of theirs when he babysat her. It was signed “ _Have fun in Hong Kong, Uncle Owen. I’ll miss you!”_

His mother gave him a cookbook filled with a bunch of family recipes, which he kept in the kitchen.

And there was of course a framed collection of the feathers his family’s trio of budgerigars- Morgan, Liam and Sammy- had lost during molting, each with their own reserved space for their unique blend of colors.

His father gave him an album of songs by Stan Rogers, his favorite musician. He could very easily find it online, but this particular one he gave him was particularly special; Owen and his dad would often sing his songs together.

Aside from that, he also had a collection of framed photographs that he brought over with him. One showed him and his older sister Emma on a whale-watching trip from their teenage years, where the two of them were broadly smiling even as the wet ocean breeze caused his sister's dark brown hair to stick to her face. Another showed his graduation from Dalhousie, with his parents standing on either side of him; it was also here one could see a pretty clear distinction between the two sides of his family, as while his father was very clearly an ethnic European with blonde hair and green eyes, his mother's features were...more Oriental, reflecting her mixed heritage. As expected, this meant neither Owen or his sister neatly fit into either the "White" or "Asian" category, but in his case especially, they could've been easily been mistaken as just being of European origin.

But aside from these pictures of his immediate family, there was also a myriad of pictures depicting Owen with his grandfather, at various stages of his upbringing: one showed the two of them playing the fiddle side by side, where Owen must've only been seven or eight years old; another showed them hiking along the Cabot Trail on Cape Brenton Island; then there was another one of the two of them with the flock of budgies that his grandfather had taken to keeping, smiling as the tiny birds fed on the seed they had collected in their hands.

Finally, there was a photo of them with the rest of the family and although they were all smiling, it was clear that there was something missing. None of Owen's other grandparents were present; his fraternal grandparents had both passed away before he was even born and his mom's mom, she had died as a result of a serious asthma attack when he was still too young to understand what it was. His parents were both affected in their own unique ways; his father became even more committed to his work in the navy, no doubt in an attempt to honor his late dad, who he looked up to as a hero; his mother on the other hand became terrified of the prospect of asthma claiming Owen's life as it had her mom's and went to great lengths to ensure his safety.

But as the last remaining member of his generation, this string of loss had affected his grandfather severely. He had seen both his wife and his life-long best friend die, people who had been with him through the hardest parts of his life. Despite his usually jovial demeanor, Owen knew that his grandfather had never fully overcome his past trauma. It was that very same long-term, largely untreated PTSD that he suffered from that eventually led to him developing atherosclerosis **;** he passed away from a heart attack the year Owen had started college.

It still hurt knowing he was gone. Because both his father was a navy men, he would be away from home for long bouts of time, leaving Owen mostly in the care of the women of the house as he grew up; a sharp divide in who held teaching positions in primary schools meant he was taught mostly by women as well. This left his late grandfather as his only consistent male care-giver, so Owen naturally latched on to him.

In spite of her overprotective nature, Owen loved his mother. He loved his sister and he held many of his early teachers in high regard, but he _adored_ his grandfather.

He had a level of energy that outmatched just about any other person he knew, in spite of his age and his condition. He inspired in Owen a love of the outdoors with the trips he’d take him on and actively encouraged him to pursue activities he doubted he could do because of his asthma, leading to him discovering his love for swimming and ice-skating. He played an active part in teaching him to read, helped by his penchant for story-telling and knowledge of his native Ireland’s literary traditions. He had even taught him how to play the fiddle just like he did, with the two of them regularly entertaining their family with their good-natured "fiddle duels".

Yet it was the times when the two of them simply sat down and talked that remained Owen's fondest memories of him. His granddad was the person who he always went to when he was seeking advice or simply felt the need to get something off his chest, and no matter what, he was always ready to listen. Through it all, his granddad believed in him - that he was capable of accomplishing something great, asthma be damned.

In hindsight, it was the catalyst for what lead to him becoming a teacher, and really, the person he was today. As he grew up, he developed a desire to be a role-model for children in the same way his grandfather was for him; a source of positivity and someone who encouraged them to realize their full potential. The man was and continued to be his hero.

Owen looked up from the photo and around his apartment, letting out a heavy sigh as he did. Making the decision to come teach English here in Hong Kong hadn’t been an easy one. He had lived in Halifax his entire life and had left almost his entire family behind there, but he ultimately decided it was the right call in order to improve his career prospects. Teaching in his local middle school had been rewarding in its own way, but staying in a position like that offered little room for growth and with how barren the job market was in his home province, well…let’s just say he wanted to keep his options open.

Owen took another sip of his tea and finally turned his attention back to his book, but after he had been reading for only a few minutes, his phone suddenly went off. He had made a point to tell his student’s parents that they could reach him via phone after school hours, but only before 8:30 PM and only for matters concerning academics. Picking up his phone, he saw a familiar number on his screen and answered the call.

“Hello. Owen Diedrich speaking.” He said after he put the phone to his ear.

_“Yes, hello. It’s…Li-Fen’s mother. Is this a bad time?”_ A familiar voice said on the other end of the line, which immediately caused him to feel just a little nervous.

“Not at all, Ms. Xiang. Good evening to you.” He said in reply. “How is she?” He asked to start them off.

“ _She’s fine…for now, at least. Still, something tells me this isn’t going to be the last time she goes through something like this.”_ Ms. Xiang answered with an obvious worry.

“It’s an unfortunately persistent disorder, Ms. Xiang, so I’m afraid you might be right.” He spoke based on experience. “On that note, have you two talked about what you’re going to do?” He said.

“ _Yeah, that's why I called. We talked about it a bunch and she made it very clear, very quickly that she didn’t want to transfer out of your class. She said something about how she didn’t want to keep letting her condition interfere with her life and that she just had to be more careful and…*sigh*. Well, I’m sure you get the gist of it by now.”_ Owen slightly smiled upon hearing this.

“And what did you think?” He asked, needing to hear both sides of the debate.

“ _I agreed with her. For slightly different reasons, maybe, but I agreed.”_ Owen arched his brow curiously.

“That so?” He asked.

“ _Yeah. Ever since she started school, I’ve been worried about that…lingering possibility that her condition would flare up again and something really bad would happen to her. Day in, day out, I’d think about it. It’s just…nice having someone on the other side who she, and I, can count on, you know?”_ Her words sounded sincere.

“Hmm, sure. Though it is still possible for me to serve that role without necessarily being her teacher, isn’t it?” He said to present an alternative view on things.

“ _Maybe.”_ She agreed. “ _But listen. Between you and me, I think keeping you as a teacher will be good for her. There...aren't many teachers like you at her school, if you know what I mean.”_ It took Owen only a few moments to understand what she was trying to say.

"I suppose I do." He said with a small sigh, taking it to mean that he was just about the only male teacher Li-Fen had at the moment.

" _I didn't say something wrong, did I?"_ Chun-Li asked him.

"Oh, not at all. I understand that I'm something of a rarity at Li-Fen's grade level." Owen replied. 

" _Right. Well, I'm sure you understand why I'm bringing this up."_ Although she couldn't see it, Owen nodded in response. What she was talking about now had been a key part in why he had chosen this job. He knew that some kids had less than ideal fathers or no father at all, like in Li-Fen’s case. As a teacher, he strove to be a role model for all of his students, but he knew that some of them needed such a figure more than others.

"May I ask you something, Ms. Xiang?" He said after a brief silence.

" _Of course."_ She replied.

"What exactly is the...context behind the current state of your household?" He wasn't quite sure how to best phrase this question, but he figured it was worth understanding regardless.

" _Oh. Oh, I- I've never actually been married."_ She eventually replied, which left only one possibility.

"Then Li-Fen, she's..." " _Yeah, she is."_ Chun-Li confirmed.

"I see." Aside from confirming a suspicion Owen had been carrying since the beginning of the year, it also opened up a whole new question as to what had happened to her biological parents; most likely nothing good.

“ _Listen, Owen…can I call you Owen?”_ Somewhat surprised by the question, he took just a moment to consider it.

“I…suppose. Why?” He heard her sigh.

“ _Well, you see, the main reason I called is to find out whether you want to keep Li-Fen in your class.”_ Again, he was caught off guard by her question.

“How do you mean?” He asked, keeping his tone the same.

“ _Don’t take this the wrong way, but having a student like her, a student with her condition is already stressful enough. Add that onto everything else that’s expected of you and it becomes…I’m not sure about the right word for it, but it’s difficult.”_ Owen let her words sink in for a moment. “ _So, I guess what I’m asking is do you think you’d be okay with all that?” I don’t want you to go through any unnecessary headaches for something that’s ultimately my responsibility.”_

Owen was speechless. It wasn’t often that a parent would contact him to ask for his own desires in an arrangement; usually, they just expected him to go along with whatever it was they concocted. Really, the fact she was reaching out like this at all was… strangely touching.

But one thing he hated more than anything was walking away from a commitment.

“Ms. Xiang, I’m…I’m thankful for your consideration, but I’m not ready to give up on your daughter just yet.” He said after a hefty pause.

“ _Are you sure?”_ She said in response.

“I’m sure. The moment a student walks through my classroom doors on the first day, they become my responsibility as well. And I don’t walk away from them if I can help it.” Owen waited for Ms. Xiang to respond.

“ _I see. So, should I tell her she’s not going anywhere?”_ He smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, you do that.” He said happily. "And while I still have you here, are there any changes I can make to better accommodate her?” He asked.

“ _Not unless you can wave a magic wand and make your asthma go away…which unfortunately isn’t in the cards. Besides, we’ve gone this long without any problems, so I guess you know how to control it well enough.”_ She said, making a pretty good point in doing so.

“That's partly to do with the fact she's in my early morning class. I take medication every morning and if I do have a flare up, it tends to happen close to the end of the day.” He paused briefly to cough into his sleeve.

“ _So it would seem.”_ Ms. Xiang said as he refocused himself.

“Oh, it’s the goddamn dust mites. Can’t get away from them. Excuse me.” He said in mild frustration before taking a quick sip of his tea, which helped soothe his throat. 

“ _Are you still with me?”_ Owen shook his head as sense returned to him.

“Yeah…I am.” He quickly said. “Was there anything else?” He said afterwards.

“ _Hmm…”_ She stayed quiet for long enough that Owen started to wonder whether she had hung up without him knowing. “ _How’re you doing?”_ She asked in a more casual tone.

“Ughh...seriously?” He asked with an amused tone, slouching back in his seat.

“ _Hey_ , _I’m just trying to break the ice. Is that so wrong?”_ She said.

“I’m…alright, I suppose. I'm just after coming back from a swim, actually.” He admitted after a moment of contemplation.

" _You swim?_ _"_ Ms. Xiang asked him, with him noting a small bit of surprise in her words.

"Whenever I'm able to. It's always helps to take the edge off." Owen replied. "And yourself? How've you been?"

“ _F_ _ine. Still adjusting to this whole…parenting thing, I guess. It wasn’t something I pictured myself doing and then it just sort of happened, you know?”_ Owen smiled, knowing full well what she meant.

“I hear you.” He said in agreement. “Still, you know what they say; experience is the best teacher.” He followed up by saying.

“ _So I’ve heard.”_ She said before pausing for a bit. “ _How do you deal with them though…kids, I mean?”_

“Well…I don’t know what to tell you. Every student has their own way of learning, and every teacher has their own way of teaching. And as someone who’s been both, I can tell you…I’m still as much a fool now as I was when I started.” He heard Ms. Xiang laugh a little over the phone, which caused whatever it was he wanted to say next to catch in his throat. There was something oddly…gratifying about hearing it.

“ _Very amusing, but you didn’t quite answer my question.”_ She said somewhat sarcastically.

“That’s just it. There is no one answer. To be a teacher, you need to learn what your student is capable of, so they can then do the same. And after that, all that’s left is to give them a little nudge out the door, but also being sure to leave it open when you do.”

“ _Hmm, interesting. I’ll keep that in mind.”_ Ms. Xiang said after a brief pause.

“Yeah, you do that.” He said in response.

“ _Well, I suppose I've kept you on the line long enough. I'd best let you get back to it now."_ She eventually said.

"Oh, it's no problem. Thank you for calling, Ms. Xiang." He said to her.

“ _My pleasure_ _. Oh, and Owen…?”_ She began to say, surprising him by using his given name once again.

“Yes?” He asked curiously.

“ _Call me Chun-Li.”_ She said soon after, letting silence hang for a little while. “ _You have yourself a good night now.”_ She eventually said.

“Thank you…Chun-Li. You as well.” With that, the call was ended and Owen was left to take in the relative silence of his apartment, with the only noise being the dehumidifier working overtime at the other end of the room.

Owen sharply exhaled through his nose and slightly shook his head while slightly covering his face with a hand, smiling broadly. That had been perhaps the most gracious conversation he’d had with a parent, well…ever. Sometimes, he forgot just how much of an effect words like that could have.

Soon after the call had ended, he looked down at his half-written journal entry. After looking down at it for a little while, Owen set about erasing the writing he had put down so he could start anew.

_October 15t_ _h_ _, 2017_

_Well, I suppose I have one less reason to worry._

_A few days ago, a student by the name of Li-Fen had a PTSD flashback just outside my classroom, which she said happened because she heard somebody coughing, which in this case was me. I asked her and her mother to consider whether she should be transitioned to another class due to the risk this presents her, but it seems neither of them are keen on that idea._

_Ms. Xiang actually offered me a way out when she called to tell me the results. She took the words right out of my mouth when she said that looking after a child like Li-Fen is difficult; I’ve already lost my fair share of sleep worrying if I’m doing right by the students who don’t have any major obstacles to their learning, but then you add something like this to the mix and the pressure mounts up even more._

_Then again, I didn’t take this job because I thought it would be easy. I used to be one of those kids, who needed more help then most were willing to give. And you know what? I still pulled through and I know she can too. That’s why I turned her down and not because she bruised my honor or anything silly like that. It’s hard even for me to remember sometimes that I’m still a human at the end of the day and that teaching is just that- a job. So, having someone recognize that is…well, it’s nice. Nice to feel valued, even if just a little. She’s a good woman, that Chun-Li, I can tell; Li-Fen’s lucky to have someone like her looking after her._

_This has already gone on a little too long, so I should probably close this entry by saying “Hang in there… for however long, hang in there."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so just like last time, I jinxed myself and took far longer then expected in getting this chapter published. Most of what you see ended up being thought up and written after I had already published my first chapter, when I decided I wanted to extend the story to get more insight into the characters. A lot of my writing time was spent trying to portray Li-Fen's PTSD in a way that both made sense from a story-telling perspective and didn't come off as insensitive, as well as getting the dialogue in the best form I could. 
> 
> Still, I'm going to see this story through to the end, whenever that will be. Stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost 11:30 in the morning and Li-Fen found herself desperately trying to maintain her focus in her last class before lunch. Maths had proven to be especially difficult for her to keep up with compared to her other subjects; several concepts remained unknown to her despite her best attempts to understand them and the sheer magnitude of work she was expected to complete left little time for her to devote the necessary time to properly learn what she had missed.

Despite this very real deficiency, Li-Fen constantly found her mind wandering and perhaps more eggriougsly, refusing to focus altogether. The only thing her body seemed to want was rest, to get even a little bit of sleep. It was a losing battle trying to stay awake, but Li-Fen tried to hide her drowsiness the best she could.

The fact she didn’t notice her teacher approaching her before she placed a folder – as well as a hall pass- in front of her showed she had come close to losing that battle.

“ _Can you deliver that down to the main office for me, Li-Fen? It’s rather important.”_ Her teacher, Mrs. Liu, asked in a quiet voice. 

“ _Sure.”_ She replied, picking up the folder and the hall pass before leaving her desk. As she left the classroom, she could see several of her fellow students stealing glances at her, as well as Mrs. Liu giving her a quick smile before carrying on the lesson as normal.

As Li-Fen walked down the mostly empty hallway, she heaved a heavy sigh. She didn’t need to check to know that the folder was empty and that Mrs. Liu had just slipped it to her to give an excuse for her to take a walk, hopefully coming back to class with at least some renewed energy. She knew it wasn’t done out of animosity; there were few things as embarrassing as falling asleep in a crowded classroom and she was sure many other teachers would’ve reacted far worse.

With no other destination in mind, she made her way to the restroom, dropping the folder in a nearby recycling bin. Approaching one of the bathroom sinks, Li-Fen looked at her reflection in the mirror; her skin was noticeably pale, with droopy eyelids. Turning on the faucet, she quietly washed her hands and splashed water onto her face, which brought a semblance of relief to her, even if it was faint.

It really was a strange thing, the effects that school had on her. On some days, she would constantly be on edge, nervous about every waking moment of the day and on others she would just be…tired. More often than not, it would be because she had failed to get adequate sleep the night before, lying awake in her room as she kept a lookout for a threat that never came. 

Then when she did manage to fall asleep, she had the nightmares to contend with - vivid reliving’s of the day her house was broken into; the cramped room she was kept in; the numerous times her life was threatened by the man in purple. And in all of them, she could hear him laughing, which more often than not led to her waking up in a cold sweat. 

So it was that she found herself fighting off her drowsiness all throughout her morning classes, regardless of her best efforts to stay focused on the lesson; seeing as she had been robbed off several years of education, she figured she didn’t really have a choice. But it was no use. She couldn’t focus, because her mind either involuntarily reminded her of her ordeal or was bogged down due to a lack of sleep.

It was a vicious cycle, one that showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Something needed to change, but what it was, she did not know.

Li-Fen eventually returned to class and managed to power through the rest of the lesson, but after the bell had rung and everyone started clearing out for their break, Mrs. Liu called out to her.

“ _Li-Fen. Do you have a moment?_ ” She heard her say. Turning around, she took a moment to consider what to do.

“ _Can it wait, Mrs. Liu? I have something I need to do._ ” Li-Fen said in as respectful a way as she could. It’s not like she was lying; she did promise she would see Mr. Diedrich at lunch.

Her teacher seemed to consider her request. “ _Alright._ ” She eventually said. “ _But I must insist we talk sooner rather than later; can you come see me after school for just a few minutes?_ ” 

“ _Okay. Have a good day, Mrs. Liu._ ” Li-Fen said in response.

“ _You too, Li-Fen._ ” With a nod, Li-Fen turned to leave the classroom. “ _Oh, and…happy birthday.”_ Stopping to turn around, Li-Fen gave her a small smile.

“ _Thank you._ ” She said.

With that, she finally left the classroom, but instead of going to her usual spot where she ate lunch, she started to make her way to another. All the way, Li-Fen wondered what it was Mrs. Liu wanted to talk about; maybe it was another one of those concerned pep-talks she had grown used to receiving, or maybe it was something much more serious. Her track record in her class wasn’t exactly impressive, after all.

She was soon approaching Mr. Diedrich’s classroom once again. Her memory of what had happened yesterday was still fresh, so in order to wade off any unwanted thoughts and emotions, Li-Fen closed her eyes and tried to focus her mind on her breathing for a good minute or so, just like how Mrs. Chun-Li had shown her. It wasn’t a perfect strategy, but it helps her stay calmer than she would be otherwise.

After she had finished her brief meditation, Li-Fen approached the classroom door and was rather surprised to find that it was closed; she couldn’t hear any noise coming from inside either. Mr. Diedrich had told her upfront to come by during lunch, so surely, he was supposed to be here as well, so why was it like this.

Just to be sure, she knocked on the door; after a few seconds without a response, she knocked again. This time, she soon heard footsteps coming towards the door and after the distinct sound of a light-switch being turned on, it was opened.

“Ah, hello Li-Fen. How’s the form?” He asked in that welcoming way he always spoke in, smiling at her as he did.

“Huh?” She said in confusion, having never heard anyone use that greeting before.

“Oh right, sorry.” He replied after a mildly embarrassed chuckle. “How have you been?” He asked again, clearer this time. 

“Okay, I guess.” She answered while gripping the straps of her back pack. “How about you?” She politely asked back.

“Grand.” He said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and eyes with his hand. “Though I have to admit, I…wasn’t expecting you to turn up so soon in the lunch-hour.” Though nothing in his tone hinted that he was upset she had come, Li-Fen began to second-guess whether she had chosen a good time.

“Oh, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to bother you, sir. I can come back later.” She nervously tried to apologize, but her teacher waved it off.

“Ah, it’s no bother at all. Come in, stay as long as you need.” Li-Fen stood at the doorway before finally making her way inside. The first thing she noticed was that the blinds were closed, as well as that her teacher’s desk was clear of any papers. 

“So, what was it again you were meaning to do yesterday? A rehearsal?” Mr. Diedrich calmly asked her after he was finished pouring water into his electric kettle, causing her to turn around.

“Y-yes, sir. I think I have it all ready, but I just wanted to run it by you before I go.” She answered, which he acknowledged with a slight nod.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to discuss any changes? Because if you want, I can still move your date back, or something of the sort.” He threw out as an offer, but Li-Fen already decided she didn’t want anything of the sort.

“It’s fine, sir – you don’t have to do anything.” She said while putting her hand slightly up, signifying her disinterest. “I can do this, I promise.” A short silence followed before her teacher lightly smiled.

“Well, alright then.” He said before turning to walk behind his desk. “Though before we do anything else, I have a question for you.” Mr. Diedrich said, putting his hands on his desk.

“And what’s that?” Li-Fen asked, not really sure what to expect.

“Have you had your lunch yet?” He asked somewhat casually, which left her somewhat surprised.

“Oh. Uhh…no.” She eventually answered.

“I guessed as much. Well then, get to it.” He said before he turned his attention to his kettle.

“But what about…” Li-Fen started to say.

“No need to rush, Li-Fen. Lunch first, rehearsal after, okay?” He said while pouring water into a mug. “Don’t you worry. I can wait.” He assured her.

Li-Fen did just that, sitting down in one of the front-row seats and opening up her backpack, where she found her lunchbox…and her stuffed panda. It was posed in such a way that it looked like he was holding her lunch, so just before she “took it” from him, she gave the stuffed animal a quick pat on the head.

Inside, she found a serving of rice with pork and broccoli, peach slices and a single egg tart for dessert. As soon as she saw what was on offer, she turned her attention to the roof of the box. Every day, Ms. Chun-Li would leave her a small note; sometimes encouraging, sometimes comical. On most days, it was a surprise, but it didn’t take much thinking to figure out what she would say today.

“ _Happy birthday, Li-Fen. I can’t wait to see you later today; hopefully, everything goes to plan.”_

Right below it was a slash followed by a 10, which was left on everyone of her lunches. Li-Fen was meant to fill in the blank as a way to rate the lunch she had been given; she didn’t quite remember how the joke had started, but it was a source of pretty good fun once the day was over, especially knowing Ms. Chun-Li had a similar note and rating in _her_ lunchbox as well.

With a smile on her face, Li-Fen picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. After a while, she let out a drawn out, noticeable yawn, wiping her eye with her free hand as she tried to fight off her drowsiness.

“Have trouble sleeping again?” She heard Mr. Diedrich say, causing her to look up from her food at him.

“Yeah.” There was no real use denying it. As her first period teacher, he’d seen her in this state more than anyone else in the building.

“Why’s that?” He patiently asked, even if the answer seemed obvious.

“I had a lot to think about.” Li-Fen eventually answered, which wasn’t entirely untrue. Other than the unwelcome memories of past events, she regularly contended with unpleasant thoughts about the future. Most of it was doubts about her academic situation improving in any meaningful way, as well as what she would do in the subjects she struggled in most.

“I would imagine so.” Mr. Diedrich said, after which came a short period of silence. “Am I a part of it?” He asked seemingly out of the blue.

“What?” She said in confusion, looking up from her food as she did.

“I mean, does the work I assign increase the severity of your…condition. I know from experience that stress can make a bad situation even worse.” He clarified, his concern appearing rather genuine. Li-Fen knew why he was asking her this.

“It wasn’t your fault, Mr. Diedrich.” She assured him.

“Maybe not. But I’d still like to see what I can do to improve your time here, within reasonable limits, of course.” He insisted, which led to her smiling.

“Like I said, sir. You don’t need to change anything. This is my burden to deal with.” She again assured him. “Although, I guess it’d be nice if you were good at maths.” She said in a joking manner.

“Actually, I am.” He said in response, catching her by surprise. “Though, I’m not quite good enough at Cantonese to teach it here. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, I’m afraid I can’t help you.” He followed up by saying, slightly smiling all the while.

“Oh.” She said in mild embarrassment. “Sorry, I had no idea.” 

“Ah, it’s no problem. I like teaching math well enough, but what I’m doing here…that’s where my passion is. Always has been.” He said, looking around the classroom as he did. “Though, if you genuinely do need some help in math, there’s an after school help session down at the library I’d suggest you look into. We try to hold it three times a week, about an hour each.” 

“Hmm…” She thought about it for a moment. “Will you be there, sir?” She asked, causing him to look up from his tea.

“Maybe…” He said, taking a sip from his cup almost immediately after.

“I’ll think about it.” She said, shifting her attention back to her meal.

“You do that.” Mr. Diedrich said in response. “Oh, and if I may spare you another nugget of advice, do try having yourself a short nap in the mid-day. It just might get you through the rest of the day, though uh…do it in a place where no one can interrupt you.” He followed up by saying.

“Oh.” She said, somewhat confused why he was telling her this. And then it hit her. “Ohhh. You mean you were…” He confirmed with a small tip off his head. Despite him not seeming upset, Li-Fen looked down at her food to hide her embarrassed smile.

“Sorry.” She said, evoking a small chuckle from him.

“Oh, it’s fine. Thankfully, my schedule isn’t that tight-knit today.” He said. “Speaking of which, we really should be getting your rehearsal underway soon. You almost ready?” He set his mug to the side and looked straight at her. 

“Almost.” Was her answer. 

“Well, I’ll need a minute to move my things, so how about you finish up there and come up when you’re ready?” He said while motioning towards the desks. In response, Li-Fen nodded her head and smiled.

“Sure. Thank you, sir.” She agreed.

As the two of them packed up their respective belongings, Li-Fen spent a little time going over her rough draft script in her head to be better prepared for her rehearsal. The thing was, the longer she spent mulling over the words, the less confident she was in it.

She was certain it was terrible and just the thought of acting it out filled her with worry. So much could go wrong: she could forget what she wanted to say and if she did remember it, she could end up embarrassing herself in front of everyone. But that’s why she was here; to at least try to make sure none of that happened.

“A-ha. There you are.” She heard Mr. Diedrich quietly say after he spent a little time rummaging through a cabinet in his desk. Whatever it was he took out, he quickly slipped it out of her sight. “You ready, Li-Fen?” He said after the fact.

She gave a rather uncertain nod, which prompted him to motion to a spot in the front of the class, which she went up to while he sat down behind one of the desks in the front row. Before she went up, she quickly scribbled down a rating on the sticky note left for her - a seven out of ten – before just as quickly closing her lunch box and putting it back in her bag.

“Before you start, Li-Fen, what kind of role would you like me to take?” He asked after he had finished his move, leaving her confused as to what he meant.

“What do you mean?” Li-Fen asked in hope of clarification.

“I mean what would you like me to do? Just observe, or try to follow along with your instructions?” Li-Fen didn’t have an immediate answer and spent more time then she should’ve thinking about what both options entailed.

“You’d be okay with that? Acting it out with me, I mean.” Mr. Diedrich nodded.

“Sure. Think of it as a sort of rough recreation of the real thing. Just with…a slightly different participant.” His explanation made some sense, but Li-Fen still wasn’t sure.

“I guess I’d like you to follow along.” She eventually decided. Her teacher nodded in understanding, but remained sitting.

“Alright then. Well, whenever you’re ready.” He said, signifying that he was waiting on her to start. She had brought a few cue-cards just in case, but decided to try rehearsing without them to make sure they don’t get in the way. After spending a little time remembering what she was going to say, Li-Fen took a breath and in the most confident tone she could muster, began speaking.

“Before I begin, I ask that everyone stands up.” With a nod, Mr. Diedrich rose from his seat.

“Thank you. Now, what I’ll be doing today is giving you a short introduction to the art of Tai Chi. What we’ll do first is…” Li-Fen stopped. Even having one pair of eyes on her made her feel like she was under intense pressure, made worse by a lingering worry that whatever came next would prove embarrassing.

“You alright?” Mr. Diedrich asked, taking notice of her reluctance.

“I forgot what I was going to say.” She partly lied. “Should I start again?”

“I think it’s better that you try and keep going. And listen, this is only supposed to be a rehearsal. Don’t be afraid of making a few mistakes.” After her teacher had finished giving his advice, Li-Fen began from where she left off.

“What we’ll do first is a few short exercises to help us warm up. Every training session should start with a set of these exercises, to help you focus your mind and body. Now, I want you to follow along with me.” Li-Fen began to roll her shoulders and her sole audience member followed along with her. “As you’re doing all of this, always remember to focus your breathing. Breathe in…and out.”

Since she’d started doing it, Tai Chi had been her go-to method for dealing with stress. As she went further into her rehearsal, she was able to keep herself calm enough to deliver her lines without stumbling over her words as she had originally feared. Mr. Diedrich followed along with her instructions to the best of his ability, which ended up being the most distracting part of the whole set-up. She had to stop herself from giggling several times; there was something inherently ridiculous about watching an adult trying to perform these sorts of movements, especially when it was being taught to them by a child like her.

“Around this time, you may be experiencing something; like a feeling of internal harmony. This is what the ultimate purpose of this art is, to achieve…” She snickered briefly, then tried to continue. “To achieve…” After this, Li-Fen tried in vain to hold in her laughter before it finally gave way. This continued for a while and once she had calmed down, she looked over to see Mr. Diedrich standing in the exact same spot, clearly amused by the scene.

“You finished?” He asked, though she couldn’t sense any impatience in his voice. 

“Yeah. Sorry, I don’t know where that came from.” Li-Fen chose to apologize regardless, seeing as she had wasted both her time and his.

"It's the pressure, right? The thought of being up there in front of everyone, not sure if everything is going to go exactly as planned?" He said. 

"Maybe...." She said in meek agreement. In truth, that uncertainty he described was exactly what she was afraid of. At best, she would end up forgetting her script and stand in front of the class like a complete fool; at worst, the stress might trigger a flashback right in front of everyone; the chance of the latter happening was admittedly small, but that small chance was enough to worry her.

"I guess I'm just scared of something like this happening when I’m in front of everyone. What would I even do then?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you do make some sort of mistake, the best thing you can do is acknowledge it and move on as you would’ve otherwise. You might think that people expect you to give some flawless speech, but just about anyone can tell when you’re not being genuine. You displaying your misstep didn’t impede you much might very well improve how your audience views what you say and do.” 

Li-Fen stood and listened to him in silence, not entirely convinced by what he was saying. He must’ve noticed, for he smiled and shook his head.

“Okay. Look at it like this.” He walked to the front of the class with his hands together.

“I come up here almost every day to try and teach you how the English language works; how to speak it, how to write it, what have you. Does that sound particularly exciting?” He asked her.

“Not really.” She admitted.

“Exactly. So, my job is to find a way to both convey that information to you in a way that makes sense and to ensure you’re actually interested in learning said information. So, to do that, I have to, of course, prepare what I’m going to talk about; you’ve already done that, and quite well, might I add.” He looked down towards her as he said this. 

“Thank you.” Li-Fen said.

“But here’s the tricky part. I could’ve prepared what I think to be an absolutely brilliant lesson, but that doesn’t guarantee you as my student will see it that way. There’s a bunch of things I have to consider; if I use words or phrases that are too complicated, I’ll confuse you; if I end up droning on for too long, I’ll lose your attention; if I speak in a ‘low, disinterested tone like this one’, then it’ll seem like I don’t care what I’m talking about, and if I don’t care, why should you?”

Li-Fen patiently listened as he listed off the various factors. This sort of thing seemed to come so naturally to him; everything from his tone of voice to the gestures he made to and around the room to emphasize his words all made him seem confident in what he was saying. 

“So, since you’re now taking the role of a teacher – even for a short while – certain things are expected of you. The class will be watching you with the expectation that you know what you’re talking about and that what you’re talking about is worth listening too. But perhaps more importantly, they’re hoping that you won’t waste their time or, God-forbid, bore them.” 

Mr. Diedrich knelt down by her side as he said all this, pointing towards where the rest of the class would be seated as he did. 

But what if this happens when I’m in front of everyone? What then?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you do make some sort of mistake, the best thing you can do is acknowledge it and move on as you would’ve otherwise. You might think that people expect you to give some flawless speech, but just about anyone can tell when you’re not being genuine. You displaying your misstep didn’t impede you much might very well improve how your audience views what you say and do.” 

Li-Fen stood and listened to him in silence, not entirely convinced by what he was saying. He must’ve noticed, for he smiled and shook his head.

“Okay. Look at it like this.” He walked to the front of the class with his hands together.

“I come up here almost every day to try and teach you how the English language works; how to speak it, how to write it, what have you. Does that sound particularly exciting?” He asked her.

“Not really.” She admitted.

“Exactly. So, my job is to find a way to both convey that information to you in a way that makes sense and to ensure you’re actually interested in learning said information. So, to do that, I have to, of course, prepare what I’m going to talk about; you’ve already done that, and quite well, might I add.” He looked down towards her as he said this. 

“Thank you.” Li-Fen said.

“But here’s the tricky part. I could’ve prepared what I think to be an absolutely brilliant lesson, but that doesn’t guarantee you as my student will see it that way. There’s a bunch of things I have to consider; if I use words or phrases that are too complicated, I’ll confuse you; if I end up droning on for too long, I’ll lose your attention; if I speak in a ‘low, disinterested tone like this one’, then it’ll seem like I don’t care what I’m talking about, and if I don’t care, why should you?”

Li-Fen patiently listened as he listed off the various factors. This sort of thing seemed to come so naturally to him; everything from his tone of voice to the gestures he made to and around the room to emphasize his words all made him seem confident in what he was saying. 

“So, since you’re now taking the role of a teacher – even for a short while – certain things are expected of you. The class will be watching you with the expectation that you know what you’re talking about and that what you’re talking about is worth listening too. But perhaps more importantly, they’re hoping that you won’t waste their time or, God-forbid, bore them.” 

Mr. Diedrich knelt down by her side as he said all this, pointing towards where the rest of the class would be seated as he did. 

"But how do you manage to never get nervous?" Li-Fen asked him.

"Who's to say I don't?" He asked in reply.

"Wait, really?" She admittedly hadn't expected him to say this.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Mr. Diedrich said without a hint of shame.

"I don't know...you just don't seem like the type of person that'd happen to." Li-Fen admitted, which only made him smile.

"And do you think that was always the case? I worried about messing up while I was in school, same as you. Only difference between then and now is that it became less obvious to everyone." He revealed to her.

"So...does that mean you're still scared of presenting?" She asked, still somewhat confused.

"Eh, scared is too strong a word. But I do still worry about it - a lot, in fact - and that's okay, because being confident doesn't mean that you never worry - it just means that you don't let those worries hold you back." 

A few moments of silence passed as Li-Fen thought about what Mr. Diedrich had just said. It was transparent that he was passionate about the English language and that shined through in his lessons. 

He would stress the importance of learning it; the opportunities it would bring not just in terms of future opportunities, but also in expression through avenues like writing and music. He also payed attention to it’s intricacies; he even had a sort of game where every day on top of the usual lesson, he’d have a “Bonus Phrase” written on the side of the chalkboard that he said came from his culture’s unique blend of English, which he explained was there to show how the same language can change depending on where you are in the world. He didn’t recommend they use any of them in normal conversation though.

But another thing that came to mind was Chun-Li, and the way she taught her. At first, she had wanted to learn them as a way of strengthening herself, but after seeing the amount of passion she displayed while teaching her, Li-Fen started seeing it as much more than simple training sessions; it was something she greatly enjoyed doing and something that brought them closer together.

She didn’t have much time to reflect however, as Mr. Diedrich rose back to his full height and looked back down at her.

“Now, care to try again?” He asked with a small smile.

“Yeah, sure.” She answered after giggling again. Mr. Diedrich sat back down before she decided to make a request. “Oh, but if it’s okay, can you just watch this time, please?” He looked up and mildly smiled.

“Was I really so terrible?” He asked.

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that…” She scrambled to apologize, though his only response was a laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’m just messing with you.” He said. “Now, come on, from the top. We only have so much time.”

For the next few minutes, Li-Fen redid her entire presentation, which ended up going a lot better than before. She couldn’t quite shake the nervousness and she stumbled over a few of her lines, but soon enough, she was nearing the end.

“As the last part of our exercise, I want you to put your hands together like this…” She stood in a neutral position and placed her palms together. “And rub them together for a few moments…pay close attention to the energy travelling to your hands as you do this. And then, slowly pull your hands apart.” Li-Fen closed her eyes as she preformed the necessary movements, paying close attention to the energy travelling through her body, channeling it to her hands.

"Li-Fen?! What in the bleedin' hell is going on?!" She heard Mr. Diedrich suddenly exclaim, causing her eyes to dart open to find he had stood up from his chair and was looking at her with a look of pure shock. Looking down, she could see that she had managed to form a fairly large ball of blue energy between her palms.

"Oh, uh...don't panic. I know what to do." Li-Fen tried to assure him and although she did know what to do, she wasn't one-hundred percent sure it work. "Move aside, sir." She told him.

"Li-Fen, what're you doing?" He was very clearly nervous.

"Just do it." She told him. After a few seconds, he complied, allowing her to focus on getting rid of the ball. Although she remembered Chun-Li telling her that it can dissipated by simply holding it and moving your hands apart slowly when you felt it weaken, she couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't accidentally shoot out, hence why she had asked Mr. Diedrich to move. After a while, she felt the energy between her palms gradually weaken and after several more seconds of concentration and careful hand movements, the ball completely disappeared, allowing her to drop her arms to the side and attempt to catch her breath.

Li-Fen then looked over at Mr. Diedrich, who was standing off to the side, still shocked by what he had just witnessed. 

"Are you okay, sir?" She asked him, knowing that she no doubt must've frightened him.

"Me? Li-Fen, what in the world was that?" Mr. Diedrich asked her.

"It was... my qi, sir." She told him, but this only seemed to confuse him more.

"Your what now?" "My qi. It something that everyone has, but when you do Tai Chi, you help ensure that it flows smoothly through your body, which lets you channel it, like I just did." She tried to explain.

"So...all that talk is true, then?" He said as he approached her. In the absence of a real answer, Li-Fen simply nodded to confirm.

"Unbelievable." Mr. Diedrich uttered in disbelief. Although it should've been obvious to her before, she realized that she had dropped a pretty big bombshell on him; it had become such a normal part of her life the past few months that she hadn't stopped to consider that others might not have looked at it with the same normalcy as she did.

"So...what did you think, sir?" She asked to break the silence.

"What I think? Li-Fen, I...I think it's incredible." He surprised her by saying.

"Really?" "Of course. But I don't understand. Why show me this?" Said Mr. Diedrich. 

"Because it's... I wanted it to be part of my presentation." She admitted.

"What?" He said.

"I said I wanted to show what I just showed you to the class. You know, as a way to cap things off." She rephrased what she had just said, although this didn't seem to change they way her teacher felt.

"And is that...necessary to what you're doing?" He asked in a tone that seemed more concerned than judgmental.

"You don't think I should do it?" She asked him.

“Oh, I wasn't telling you what to do, Li-Fen. I just want you to ask yourself whether this is something you want to keep for your final product.” She looked at him with a slightly confused expression. “A Bluenoser like me wouldn’t know anything about this _qi_ business. Like I said, I’m here to learn just as much as you are.” He insisted.

Li-Fen took a moment to articulate her response. “You remember everything I said about it earlier, right?” She started by asking.

“I do.” He responded.

“Well, the idea was that I would give visual proof, I guess, that I’m not making it all up. Show that yes, it does have a purpose and yes, it does make you stronger. And maybe it’ll get more people trying it, you know?” She explained to him.

“And that’s important to you?” He asked.

“Yeah. It’s helped me a lot with, well…what’s going on with me.” Over the past few months, tai chi had become an almost essential part of her life, not just as a part of her physical training, but also to manage her stress and keep her condition at bay. The intrinsic focus on being aware of her body's movements - both internal and external - helped in keeping her more intrusive thoughts at bay.

“I see.” Her teacher said. “And this ball. Can it dangerous?” Upon hearing this question, Li-Fen smiled and slightly shook her head in disbelief.

“I promise that I can control it.” She insisted.

“Oh, I’ve no doubt. It’s just this sort of thing is rather…unorthodox, shall we put it.” He said while taking a quick note, leaving Li-Fen somewhat worried.

“So, I’m not allowed to do it?” She asked with a sense of uncertainty.

“You are.” She breathed a small sigh of relief. “But… only on two conditions.” He put up a finger as he said this. “Firstly, I want you to show me it in person at least once more before you present, just to avoid any uncertainty.”

Fair enough, she thought. “And the second?”

“I’m also going to need your mother’s distinct approval on this; both that she knows you’re doing it and that she approves of you doing it. Does that sound fair?” 

“Yeah, that sound’s fair.” She said in agreement. “The rest of it was good though, right?” She asked both to get some genuine advice and to change course.

“I’d say you’ve got yourself a pretty solid foundation. Just be sure to practice some more, raise your voice a tad when you actually present, and I’d say you’re golden.” He said to her while clearing a few things off his temporary desk. 

“Alright. I guess I’ll come back tomorrow…just a bit later this time, though.” He lightly chuckled in response.

“Of course.” With that, she started making her way over to the spot where she ate lunch.

“Oh, and before you go, one last thing.” He took out something, a seemingly normal blue-coloured pencil -decorated with a small red bow- and held it out to her. “Happy birthday, Li-Fen.” He said.

A few seconds passed as Li-Fen looked at the pencil, surprised at the unexpected offering. 

“That isn’t really necessary, sir.” She said after a short while.

“Ah, no need to be so modest. Go on and take it. It’s yours.” He insisted, still holding out the pencil.

“Well, um…thank you, Mr. Diedrich _._ ” She eventually said as she finally accepted the offered pencil with both hands.

She certainly appreciated the present, even if it was just another pencil for her to use. Though after looking it over some more, she noticed something. Printed along the end of the utensil in white, capitalized letters, was…

**XIANG LI-FEN**

“It’s not much, I know, but I hope you like it.” Mr. Diedrich said, causing her to look back up at him.

“I do. It’s…” She started to say before trailing off. “I really shouldn’t accept this.” Li-Fen said as she held the pencil back out to him. Much to her surprise, he chuckled.

“Without fail.” He said, turning back to her. “Back home, the kids would just take the thing and that’d be the end of it. Here though, I sometimes can’t tell whether I’m offering you a pencil or a bar of gold.” He didn’t sound displeased or frustrated; rather, he sounded rather amused by the situation.

“You mean you’ve given these out before?” Was the impression Li-Fen had of his statement. 

“Well think about it, Li-Fen. Say I was to give one of these to one -and only one - of your classmates, and you found out about it. I imagine you would be none too pleased, no?” It only took a moment for Li-Fen to figure out what he meant.

“Oh, I see.” She said. “I’m guessing you don’t want the other kids knowing I have this, then?” She asked.

“It’d be sound if you did. Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise for them.” 

Li-Fen looked back down at the pencil. He was right that it wasn’t really much in the grand scheme of things, but for whatever reason, it did still feel special to her. A personalized present that he took the time to give her one on one; he could’ve just given them out to each of them at the same time, but he didn’t. And she was glad; it would’ve been much less impactful that way.

“I’d think about legging it if I were you. Classes start in just a few minutes.” He reminded her, snapping her back to reality.

“Right, right…” She said before going over to retrieve her backpack. 

“By the way, how would you like her to sign off on this: note or phone call?” She said to regain her teacher’s attention. 

“If you’re talking about your mother, either one will do.” He looked back over to her “Why?”

“Just checking… in case you wanted to talk to her again, that is.” She said as coolly as she could. If he was taken aback by her statement, he didn’t show it.

“Oh?” He said before resuming writing.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t mind. You are on a first name basis now, after all.” She said as coolly as she could.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He calmly replied, having by now concluded his writing.

“If you say so.” She said with a sly smile, walking past him to the door as she did. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Diedrich.” She turned around and said.

“Sure thing, Li-Fen. Now, go on and enjoy the rest of your day.” He responded by saying. 

Li-Fen gave an understanding nod, to which he gave his own. With that out of the way, she left the classroom and started making her way to her next class. Even though she was again alone with her thoughts, and still fairly tired, she walked down the hall with a genuine smile on her face. Now all that was left for her to do is try and get through her remaining classes so that she could see what Ms. Chun-Li had planned for the evening.

Something told her she already knew what it was.

~~~~

_Later that day._

Meditation. It isn’t quite as essential to becoming a martial artist as some may think, but it’s a helpful part of the learning process all the same. It helps clear the mind of the clutter that piled on that day and helps you focus on what lay ahead. So, for that reason, Chun-Li’s father had made a point to begin each of their lessons with a minimum five-minute period of meditation. 

She had found it quite dull in her younger years; she was always set and ready to learn, finding it little more than useless preamble. But as she grew older, she gained a newfound appreciation for it. It helped ease away much of the stress that came packaged with her job and served to further the development and honing of her skills. And perhaps most importantly, it helped her adopt the value of patience, something her younger self sorely lacked.

But seeing as she was now a teacher herself, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The silence of her home – as well as her concentration – was broken when she heard some rather noisy breathing, which didn’t quite match the concentrated breaths you were supposed to take while meditating. Chun-Li didn’t open her eyes, but she did softly smile as she recognized what had happened.

“Li-Fen.” Sure enough, she heard her suddenly waking up. 

“Hmm, huh?” Silence followed, followed by a sigh. “Not again…” Li-Fen uttered in annoyance.

Seeing as there was no point keeping up the appearance, Chun-Li opened her eyes, finding Li-Fen sitting cross-legged in front of her with a slightly disappointed expression. 

“What’s wrong? Tired?” She calmly asked her. No point in reprimanding her for something she was once guilty off.

“A little, yeah. You know how it is.” She admitted.

“Sure.” It was yet another effect of her condition. “Well, let’s not get too hung up on that today, okay? You ready for the rest?” She said to lighten the mood a bit.

“Is it squats?” She asked somewhat sarcastically.

“Ah, see – you're catching on.” Li-Fen sighed. “It’s just a few more, I promise. Then we can get to the good stuff. Now, come on.” 

Due to the size of her apartment, the two of them mostly trained using a small collection of exercise equipment she had purchased. It used to be a lot more extensive with much more versatile equipment, but it quickly became a problem when Li-Fen first moved in. Chun-Li ended up selling most of the contents of her “home gym” both to get the money to buy furniture for what would become Li-Fen’s room and because there simply wasn’t anywhere to store it. 

She hadn’t foreseen she would ever be sharing a home with someone, much less a child she could call her own. But it was a decision she ultimately didn’t regret.

“Now, what do you say we put that balance training to good use?” Her face lit up with excitement.

“You mean…?” She started to say.

“I think it’s well past time you started learning how to kick.” Chun-Li said. “Like I told you before, every move you make in martial arts ultimately depends on what your opponent is doing at that moment; it’s up to you to decide on what you’ll do – whether to stay on defense or go on offence. The strikes I’ve been showing you are practical for when they’re close and off their guard, but kicks – they’re useful in several ways.”

“One, they’re good to use when your opponent is at a distance. The catch is that they’re riskier than simple punches or jabs, since they can throw you off balance much easier. If I were to do this…” She performed a simple forward kick as an example. “And they see it coming, they can counter it – knock me off my feet with a sweep if they’re prepared enough.”

“That’s why in order to use them, you need to be quick and you need to be smart. Never just throw them out without assessing your opponent first.” She concluded her quick rundown, not wanting to spend too much time on the preamble and more on teaching her the basics.

“You’ve been practicing your stance, right?” She asked her.

“Sure have.” She replied.

“Good. Show me.” Chun-Li watched as she carefully went into the stance she had taught her: back straight, fists clenched, left foot in front. She took a moment to look for areas of critique.

“Feet a bit further apart.” Li-Fen complied. “Raise one fist so it’s closer to your chin.” Again, she did as she said. 

“Is that good?” She asked.

“Looks like it. Hold it for a little bit.” Chun-Li replied, moving to stand beside her, and taking up a similar stance. 

“What do I do now?” Li-Fen asked after standing in place for a little while.

“Stand on one foot.” She instructed. “Just raise one up a bit – you don’t have to do anything fancy just yet. Just make sure to maintain the stance.” Li-Fen soon complied, lifting her left foot just off the ground.

“Now lift your leg up like this.” She demonstrated by lifting her own leg up so it was bent at the knee, just as she had done countless times before. She waited for Li-Fen to try and replicate it, which she did, but it was clear it was still rather difficult for her to keep her balance like this.

“Then, extend it forward…” Again, she demonstrated the basic kicking motion. “And return to standing position.” She returned back to her normal stance. “Now you try.” Chun-Li instructed.

Li-Fen tried to mimic the basic attack she had been shown, and although she managed to complete most of the motion, she had to quickly shuffle back into a standing position to stop herself from falling.

“Not a bad start, but you’re a bit off balance.” Chun-Li commented. “Let’s see it again.” With a quick breath, Li-Fen repeated the basic kick and again, she displayed some minor difficulty pulling it off.

“Was that better?” She asked after she had finished.

“It was.” She walked closer to the training bag. “Now, I want you to try it out again – a bit faster this time. Same motion, but put more force into it.” She waited for Li-Fen to attempt it, noticing that she seemed a bit uncertain. “Go on. You know it won’t hit back.” She said humorously.

A few more seconds of silent preparation went on before Li-Fen suddenly sprang forward with her kick, hitting the bag with unexpected aggression – exclamation and all. Before Chun-Li could say anything, she kicked the bag again, and again, before losing any sense of conduct and railing on it with the moves she had already learned.

Chun-Li cautiously watched this unfold, waiting to see if a moment came where she needed to intervene. This tended to happen when they trained; Li-Fen would unload her frustrations on the training bag, anger she carried from her ordeal. She allowed it to transpire for a certain time, seeing as it was the best possible avenue for her to do this without hurting others or herself. She should know – she used to do it too.

After her father was killed, she’d spent countless minutes – sometimes even hours – going all out on training bags, day after day. Except she didn’t see a bag in front of her; instead, she saw Bison’s sadistic, grinning face. And Li-Fen was no doubt doing something similar, except with Bison’s equally evil lackey F.A.N.G in his place. 

After enough time had passed, Chun-Li finally intervened.

“Hey, hey – that’s enough now. I think he got the message.” She calmly said to her, kneeling down at her level. Her breathing was noticeably heavier, having tired herself out with her outburst.

“Sorry. I’m sorry…” Li-Fen uttered, before turning to her. “Did I at least get the kick right?” She asked, clearly trying to hide her displeasure at her own actions.

“Yeah… I’d say you did.” She responded. “I think it’s about time we took a break. I’ll show you some more moves after.” 

“Okay.” Li-Fen said. The two of them took a seat on some nearby chairs and took some quick sips from their respective water bottles.

“Can I ask you something, Ms. Chun-Li?” Li-Fen asked as Chun-Li finished her drinking.

“Sure. What is it?” She said in response.

“What was your father like?” Chun-Li raised a brow, somewhat confused by her question. “You mention him so often, but I still don’t really know anything about him.” She followed up by saying.

“Well…I don’t really like to talk about him much. Just makes me think about just how…unfair what happened to him was.” She said, lowering her voice to a more somber tone.

“Oh...okay then. Forget I asked.” Li-Fen said to correct herself.

“No, it’s fine. I guess, if you need to know anything, he’s the reason I am where I am today; why I started training; why I became a cop; even how I ended up finding you, in a way.” She explained, looking down at Li-Fen as she did.

“And everything you’ve been teaching me – did he create all of it?” Li-Fen asked.

“No, not even close. This is just my personal spin on what my father taught me. He did the same thing with his own father – my grandfather – taught him and so on. It’s a process my ancestors have gone through going back centuries – each generation learning and adding to the art as time went on. Now, what you and I are learning now – it’s no doubt very different from what my great-great something grandfather learned, but what stayed the same is the philosophy behind it.” 

“There’s a philosophy to fighting?” Li-Fen asked, her tone clearly skeptical of her claim.

“Sure there is. When he was training me, my father made a point to say that martial arts don’t just improve the strength of one’s blows, but also their strength of will; strength of mind; strength of heart.” As she spoke, she placed her finger to appropriate parts of her body. “I was never supposed to look at martial arts as just a way to grow as a fighter, but also as a way to grow as an individual – to attain conviction and confidence in who you are and what you believe in. So not only do you learn how to throw a punch, but also why you do it.” 

The two of them sat in silence for the next few moments as Li-Fen seemed to process what it was she just heard. The truth was that for a long time, Chun-Li lost touch with the philosophy her father had preached. Her main motivation had above all else been revenge against Bison and Shadaloo; she became a cop for that very reason – not just out of a sense of justice, but also as an opportunity to find answers regarding his disappearance.

It was only later in life when she saw that her actions were more than just a means of honoring her father, it was a means of honoring herself. Who she truly was. 

“Huh. I never really looked at it that way.” She eventually said, causing Chun-Li to lightly laugh.

“Yeah. I’m sure the way he explained it made a lot more sense, but… that’s the gist of it.” She said in response. “Now, how about we get back to it, then? There’s still a few more things I want to show you before dinnertime.” 

“Yeah, okay. What’re we having, by the way?” Li-Fen asked as they started making their way back to their training area.

“It’s…it’s something off a surprise. Just focus on the training for now, okay?” Chun-Li replied with some hesitation. 

The rest of their training went off without a hitch and after the two of them had cleaned themselves up, Chun-Li set about preparing their dinner. It didn’t take much effort to figure out what she would serve for Li-Fen’s birthday; she grew up with a certain tradition where she would be served a bowl of noodles – “longevity noodles”, to be exact. It had however been some time since she had last made them, forcing her to dig around for an old book where she could re-learn the exact recipe.

Soy sauce. Garlic. Pork. A few sliced mushrooms and carrots. She spent more time preparing all the necessary ingredients then she did actually making the dish, but once she started, it ended up going much smoother than she had imagined. It was something she had made several times in the past, teaching herself the recipe in order to prepare it for her father’s birthday, something she ended up doing so many times that it became almost like muscle memory.

After she was finished, she left it to mend for a little while before taking out two pairs of chopsticks, which she took over to the table. As she did this, she found Li-Fen already sitting at the table, writing an entry in her journal, which she quickly moved to cover when she heard her come in.

“Oh, uh…is it ready?” She asked after quickly closing the book. 

Chun-Li couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to peek. But you know the rule; homework goes away during dinner time.” After she set the chopsticks down.

“This isn’t really homework. I was just trying out this new pencil I got. Here, see?” Li-Fen held out the utensil to her, which she took from her. At first, she wasn’t quite sure why she was showing it to her, but it soon became clear to her.

“Oh, it has your name on it. Neat.” She said, with Li-Fen responding with a surprisingly upbeat ‘mm-hmm.’ “Where’d you get it?” She asked as she handed it back to her.

“Mr. Diedrich gave it to me. You know, like a present.” She revealed as she set both it and her journal aside.

“Did he? How kind of him…” She lightly smiled as she said this, taking a few more seconds to look at the pencil before returning to the kitchen with the intent to pick up their meal.

“He didn’t call you today, did he?” She heard Li-Fen ask from the dining room, which made her somewhat worried.

“No. Why?” She answered, while pouring some water into the kettle, to be used for their post-meal tea.

"Oh, uh...no reason." Li-Fen replied somewhat cryptically. With a sign, Chun-Li put down the water and returned back to Li-Fen, intent on getting answers.

"What happened, Li-Fen?" She asked to get her attention.

"Nothing." The look on her face was enough to tell her she wasn't telling her the truth.

"Li-Fen, come on. You don't need to hide things like this from me - you know that." She reminded her. 

"No, you don't understand. He wanted to talk to you about my presentation." Said Li-Fen, which took her by surprise.

"Oh." Li-Fen had a tendency to downplay her symptoms, no doubt in an attempt to lessen her own concerns, which only made them all the more serious. But maybe Chun-Li had started getting a little _too_ worried on her behalf.

"Okay, well...what about your presentation?" She attempted to make up for her previous assumption.

"Uh..." She started nervously tapping her pencil on the table. "He wanted you to give your permission for me to do something." Li-Fen eventually answered.

"That being?" Asked Chun-Li.

"Well, you know how you showed me how to make a ball of qi a while ago, right?" Somehow, Chun-Li knew exactly what had happened after she told her this.

"You did not." Li-Fen averted her gaze and nervously smiled, causing her to sigh in annoyance. "I told you that you shouldn't do that outside of training." She sternly reminded her.

"I know, but..." "But what? Do you have any idea what could've happened?" She reprimanded her.

"Of course I do and none of it did. I know how to control it, I promise." Li-Fen assured her, which only made her feel somewhat better.

"I'm sure you can, Li-Fen, but I still don't understand why you did what you did." Said Chun-Li, leaving Li-Fen to sit in embarrassed silence.

"I just thought that...me showing that to everyone would get them more interested in actually trying it. Because, you know, tai chi by itself no doubt looks really boring to the average person." Li-Fen explained.

"That's true, but you're not exactly supposed to be convincing your classmates to take up a new hobby, right?" Chun-Li asked her.

"You're right, I'm not. But at the same time, what you've taught me has been really helpful for me. Maybe it will be for them too." Upon hearing Li-Fen's explanation, Chun-Li couldn't keep herself from smiling. She was well aware of how good tai chi was for dealing with stress, which was the main reason she decided to teach it to her before anything else. Even so, knowing that their training meant that much to her was...quite uplifting.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Li-Fen soon gestured towards the kitchen, which made her momentarily panic.

"Right, right." She rushed back to check on the noodles and breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw that they didn't look overcooked.

"So, just so we're clear, Mr. Diedrich is okay with you performing it, right?" Chun-Li asked as she stirred the noodles one more time.

"He will be, as long as you tell him you're okay with it. Are you?" After thinking about it a little more, she eventually came to a decision on the matter.

"Alright. If he doesn’t call by bed-time, I’ll send him an e-mail about it.” She assured her as she started pouring the noodles into two bowls. 

“Aww, you’re not going to call him again?” Li-Fen asked with a noticeably different tone, almost like she was teasing her.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” She inquired, pausing her activity to ask this.

“Oh, nothing.” With this reply, Chun-Li went back to pouring the noodles.

“I’ll be sure to ask 'Owen' if he got your e-mail though.” 

Chun-Li practically froze, her eyes widening in surprise. She must have overheard her conversation with him the night before; either that or she deliberately listened in. Truth be told, she still wasn’t sure what had compelled her to insist that they use their first-names; it certainly wasn’t the most professional thing to do. Maybe it was because her intent wasn’t to talk to him like a parent to a teacher, but rather as normal people. Her gratitude for what he had done for Li-Fen the day before had been genuine, so it was only fair she would be as well.

“You still there?” She heard Li-Fen ask, bringing her back to reality.

“Yes. And what do you say we forget about all that stuff for now? It’s time to eat.” 

Picking up the two bowls, she carried them into the dining room, with Li-Fen turning around in anticipation of the meal. 

“Here you are, Li-Fen.” She set one of the bowls in front of her, noticing her expression light up once she saw what was inside. “You know what these are, don’t you?” Chun-Li asked.

“Yeah, I do.” Li-Fen confirmed in an enthusiastic voice.

“Go on then. You know what to do.” 

Chun-Li watched with a wide smile as Li-Fen carefully picked up the end of a noodle with her chopsticks and placed it into her mouth. The strand was very long, meaning that she had to take the time to eat it in a long, continuous motion; to break the noodle early meant that you would cut your life short, or risk bad luck. 

As she slurped down the noodle, Li-Fen’s eyes looked over to her. Once they did, Chun-Li mimicked her and started eating a noodle of her own, earning a muffled laugh from the girl. Unfortunately, this caused the noodle she was eating to break and fall back into the bowl.

“Aw, I messed it up.” She exclaimed, although she was still smiling.

“Just keep going. What’s life without a few hiccups?” Li-Fen did just that, and soon enough, both their bowls had been cleared of noodles. After Li-Fen slurped down the very last one and sat with a proud look on her face, the two of them shared a long laugh.

“Ready for tea?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Li-Fen answered. Chun-Li went to bring over the now brewed tea, as well as a plate of egg-tarts the two of them baked together a few hours ago.

“So…did I do okay?” She asked her daughter as she poured tea into her cup.

“You mean with the noodles? Cause I thought they were really good.” Li-Fen responded, clearly a bit confused as to what she meant.

“Thank you, but that’s not quite what I meant.” She finished pouring herself some tea and sat down beside her. “I mean, did I do good today? As a whole.” Li-Fen looked at her with a small smile.

“Why, do you think you’ve done something wrong?” She asked, taking a sip of her tea.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s more I think I didn’t do enough.” Chun-Li explained, watching as her daughter set down her cup.

“Really? How so?” She asked in a way that signified she wasn’t really buying what she was saying.

After remaining silent for a few seconds, Chun-Li reached into her pocket. “Well...” She said as she pulled out a red envelope and held it out to Li-Fen with both hands. “ _Happy birthday, Li-Fen.”_ She said in Mandarin.

Li-Fen looked down at the envelope, then back up at her, wearing an amused smile all the while. After a while, she gently accepted the envelope with both hands.

“ _Thank you._ ” She politely said in Mandarin as she accepted it. She held the envelope in her hands for the next little while, with the scent of fresh bills hanging over the table. Li-Fen then turned her eyes back to her.

“Is this what you were worried about?” She asked.

“Maybe. I…couldn’t really find the time to shop for a proper gift.” Chun-Li admitted, but Li-Fen just kept smiling.

“You didn’t need to do that. You’ve already given me enough.” The girl said as she put down the envelope in front of her.

“Oh, come on…” She said, assuming she was just being modest.

“No, I mean it. I spent my last two birthdays in a small room with no windows. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if it was my birthday or not; it just didn’t matter. But the things I missed weren’t extravagant parties or presents. It was the small things: eating, talking and playing with my family like a normal girl should. Things I thought I’d never get the chance to do again.” Her words were slightly melancholic, but that didn’t keep a soft smile from remaining on her face.

“Yet here I am, doing just that…thanks to you. Today by itself was a gift, as was yesterday and every day that’s yet to come. You gave me all that, and that’s the greatest gift anyone could get.” 

Chun-Li found herself at a loss for words, but it was clear to her that Li-Fen’s words were sincere. She was grateful for what she had done for her; imperfect though it may be, it was a second chance at life. For the both of them.

With a wide smile, Chun-Li gave Li-Fen a hug, holding the girl in her arms.

“ _May your life be long, prosperous and full of joy.”_ She said to her in Mandarin.

_~~~_

_A few days later._

“Okay everyone. Like the past few classes, the last twenty-five minutes are to be dedicated to presentations. This batch requires each of you to have some room, so those seated in the left and right rows are asked to move their desks to either side of the room.” Li-Fen joined her classmates in following his instructions and moved her desk to the side so there was enough space for the students to comfortably stand in the aisles.

“The same rules that were in play before are still in effect. Observers, give your peers your undivided attention and listen to their instructions closely. Presenters, you each have two minutes to make any necessary preparations and three to five minutes to speak.” With that, he looked at a list of students that were meant to present on that day, a list that Li-Fen knew she was a part of. 

The names were meant to be called at random, with the uncertainty of whether she would be the first to be called upon causing a sense of nervous apprehension to manifest within her.

“Lian. You’re up first.”

Li-Fen breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She then watched as the girl she had spoken to yesterday passed out sheets of red paper, along with accompanying scissors and markers. As Lian gave her the supplies, she gave an acknowledging wink and silently mouthed “Good luck later.”, barely giving Li-Fen time to respond before she moved on. 

Once Lian began her presentation, Li-Fen followed along with her instructions as best she could. She spoke clearly and confidently, guiding everyone through the process of creating the simplistic paper cut of a flower she had shown her a few days ago. When all was said and done, Lian held up her final product and asked for everyone to do the same: the results were…less than spectacular, but most of them ended up fairly good for a first attempt, or at least that’s what she claimed.

The next two presentations came and went, with one of her classmates sharing a few tips that could be used to get better at maths and another walking them through the proper way to draw a heron. Li-Fen observed each of these with a mix of enjoyment and envy; though it was undeniably enjoyable to watch her classmates simply being themselves and sharing what they loved for a few minutes, it all seemed to come so naturally for them.

They have all most likely been practicing these activities for years, under the watchful eye of their family. Normal children…that’s what they were. If only the same could be said for her…

As the applause given to the latest presenter came to an end, the classroom died down and awaited to see who came next.

“We have one more presenter scheduled for today.” Mr. Diedrich again looked down at his list. “Li-Fen. Come on up.” He called out.

Whatever degree of confidence she might’ve had evaporated almost immediately, which wasn’t helped when many of her classmates turned to look in her direction. She eventually stood up and made her way to the front of the class, repeating small words of encouragement to herself in her head as she did.

Li-Fen soon found herself standing in front of the class, trying to find her tongue as they stared expectantly at her. After a while, she turned to Mr. Diedrich, who softly smiled at her.

“Whenever you’re ready.” He said in a reassuring voice. Turning back to the class, Li-Fen took a deep breath and gave her first instruction.

“Before we begin, I ask that everyone stands up.” Owen spotted many surprised faces among the crowd as they did what she asked. As it was, this was probably the first time most of them had heard her speak.

“Thank you. Now, what I’ll be doing today is giving you a short introduction to the art of Tai Chi.” Murmurs erupted in several corners of the class, which Owen managed to die down by raising his hand. 

“What we’ll do first is a few short exercises to help us warm up. Every training session should start with a set of these exercises, to help you focus your mind and body. Now, I want you to follow along with me.” Li-Fen began to roll her shoulders and her audience members followed along with her. “As you’re doing all of this, always remember to focus your breathing. Breathe in…and out.” After going through a solid minute of warm up exercises, it came time for the main event. 

“Nicely done. Now, the next thing you want to do is to take up a starting position, like so.” Li-Fen made it so she was standing straight, arms by her side and legs perfectly symmetrical. “Take a moment to relax yourself further…and now, begin.” 

From there, the presentation proper went off almost without a hitch. Li-Fen orchestrated the class through a relatively short thirteen step “form”, conducted in the Yang style Mrs. Chun-Li had been teaching her. She kept instructions short, trying to keep a consistent and clear tone throughout as Mr. Diedrich had advised her to do. 

The amount of times she had practiced the routine before then made it so she knew it inside out. As she went through it, she made sure to touch on the proper form they had to maintain and what they should be focusing on internally, thinking of them as more than just movements. When she couldn’t remember the exact line she had written, she made up a new one. She also decided it was best to point out that despite what some people claimed, the practice didn’t actually have any real healing properties; Ms. Chun-Li thought it was important to do so.

Soon, her presentation was nearing its end.

“Around this time, you may be experiencing something; a flow of sorts. This is what the ultimate purpose of this art is…allowing your life energy, your _qi_ , to flow through your body.” By now, they were close to concluding the movement. 

“As the last part of our exercise, I want you to put your hands together like this…” She stood in a neutral position and placed her palms together. “And rub them together for a few moments…pay close attention to the energy travelling to your hands as you do this.” She could see a few skeptical looks from her classmates as they did this, which made it difficult for her to keep a cocky smile from appearing on her face.

“And now, slowly pull your hands apart.” She demonstrated and her fellow students followed along. Keep your hands relaxed and when you feel resistance, bring your hands closer together again, but never let them touch.” As she instructed, Li-Fen closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

After a while, she heard several startled gasps and more than a few surprised utterings; just like that, she knew that it was working. She opened her eyes to find that-sure enough- a small orb of blue energy had formed between her palms…and that her classmates were staring at it in wide-eyed awe. After holding it for a few moments, she gradually moved her hands further apart and allowed it to dissipate, placing her arms back by her side.

“Studying martial arts takes much dedication and what I showed you here today doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what they have to offer. But no matter which style you choose to adopt, whether it’s effective or not, depends greatly on the one teaching it. Thank you all for your attention.” With that final word, Li-Fen respectively bowed to the class, all of whom were still standing.

For a moment, nothing happened, but soon, the classroom erupted in applause. This continued for some time and it seemed Li-Fen didn’t know how to properly react to this outpouring. Deciding to make it a bit easier for her, Owen stood up and walked to take his usual spot at the front.

“Well done, Li-Fen. Well done.” The girl turned to him and with an enthusiastic nod, moved to return to her usual spot. From that brief interlude, Owen could see a mixture of relief and pride in Li-Fen’s expression. 

“That concludes the last set of presenters before your break. You’re all free to use the remaining few minutes in whatever way you see fit. My door will be open for students after the school day is over, so those who are yet to present are free to come see me if they have any concerns. Other than that, enjoy the rest of your day.” 

Upon hearing this, most of the class erupted into chatter. While they did that, Li-Fen took a book out of her knapsack and flipped to the spot she left off. It was a simple enough story; a goddess takes the form of a white wolf to eliminate the darkness from her native land, but there was a sort of beauty in the way that it was told that Li-Fen just couldn’t describe. The perfect way to kill the remaining time left in the period…

“That was quite something you pulled there.” Li-Fen didn’t even need to break away from her reading to know who was talking. 

“Oh, hello, Lian…” She greeted her classmate after lowering her book. “How’re you?” Li-Fen eventually asked after being unsure of what to say for a while.

“Relieved. Both that I don’t need to worry as much anymore...” She sat down in an empty chair next to her. “And that the classroom’s still in one piece.” Li-Fen could only offer an embarrassed smile in response.

“Well, uh…I guess that makes two of us.” She responded by saying.

“Being glad it’s over or the classroom bit?” Lian asked her.

“Both.” This caused Lian to lightly laugh, again leaving her at odds at what to say. “I…quite liked what you showed us, by the way.” She eventually said, fully putting down her book.

“Did you? Well, that makes me happy to hear.” Lian replied with a smile. “You understood what to do, right? Like, was I clear?” She followed up by asking, appearing somewhat nervous as she did.

“I think the better question is whether I actually did it right.” Li-Fen said, earning another smile from the girl.

“Let’s check. Come on, show me what you did.” She insisted.

Li-Fen hesitated for a few seconds, before an affirming nod from Lian gave her a bit of encouragement. She picked up her crudely cut craft and displayed it to her, who took a moment to inspect it.

“Well? How is it?” Li-Fen asked.

“Not bad at all, especially for a first try.” She answered, meeting her eyes afterwards. “This is your first try at this, right?” She asked to make sure.

“Oh, I don’t know all that much about art. Much less about…” She paused, trying to find the proper term to describe what the artform was called. “Well, whatever you call this.” Was what she ended up saying.

“ _Jiǎnzhǐ.”_ Lian quickly said, catching her attention. “That’s what this is called. You pretty much just use them for decoration, but they do tend to have some sort of meaning behind them.” She briefly explained.

“So…what about this one?” Li-Fen asked curiously, looking down at the craft.

“I’m guessing you know what a lotus flower is, right?” Li-Fen nodded. “Well, they’re considered to be very precious things, at least in Buddhism. From what I’ve been told, it represents purity, as well as someone who ‘comes out of mire, but is not sullied’, which just means someone got out of a bad situation without any stains on them.” 

“Really?” Li-Fen said as she looked back down at the flower.

“That’s what my grandma said, anyway. I just thought we were making them cause…well, that’s what my name means.” Some time passed as the two of them sat in silence, which was finally interrupted by Lian.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask, how are you feeling? I haven’t seen you since…well…” Lian started to say.

“I’m better.” She assured her, not wanting to put too much attention on it. 

“Oh, good. Cause, I tried finding you during lunch the past few days and I assumed you were…I don’t know, either at home or the hospital or something.” Li-Fen could do nothing but look at the other girl in surprised silence. “Like I said, I…wasn’t really sure.” Lian said with a shrug.

“You were looking for me?” Li-Fen asked her.

“Yeah. I mean, I wanted to see if you wanted to talk some more, about…well, whatever.” She revealed, which came as somewhat of a surprise to her.

“Oh, sorry. I was…busy.” Li-Fen said, which wasn’t far from the truth.

“Are you going to be busy today?” Lian asked.

“Well, no.” She answered.

“Good, neither am I. So, what do you say?” 

Li-Fen mulled over the question for a few moments. She was still a bit unsure of what to make of her, and still rather nervous about this sort of interaction. But despite that, she wasn’t keen on the idea of spending lunch alone again. What harm would there be in trying?

“Okay, sure.” She eventually agreed. “Where do I find you?” 

“Just go down to the cafeteria and I should be able to pick you out.” Lian said. “Maybe, I can even introduce you to some other people…?” Li-Fen’s nervousness spiked back up and even with the cautious tone Lian took when making this suggestion, she felt a sudden sense of pressure.

“Umm…” Li-Fen scrambled for an answer, but Lian must’ve taken notice of her discomfort.

“Yeah, I understand. Maybe some other time then…” Lian said.

Almost immediately after, the bell rang, signifying that the time has come to move onto the next class.

“Enjoy your break, everyone. And fair play to all those who presented today.” She heard Mr. Diedrich call out over the clustering in the classroom. In response, the two girls promptly started packing up their belongings.

“So…see you at lunch?” Lian asked, having finished packing before her.

“Yeah. See you at lunch.” Li-Fen said in agreement.

Li-Fen watched as she walked away, before finishing her own packing and slinging her bag over her shoulder. As she approached the exit, she glanced at Mr. Diedrich, who without saying a word, gave her a warm and prideful smile. She responded with a smile of her own, which she held for a while before finally moving to leave the classroom.

Off she went to her next class, which was maths. The talk she had with her teacher about her…less than stellar performance was still fresh in her memory, where Mrs. Liu had laid out a few suggestions for how to improve it, none of them particularly appealing. She hadn’t told Ms. Chun-Li about it yet, but she knew she had to do it soon.

Still, maybe things wouldn’t stay bad forever.

……….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone.
> 
> So, this chapter ended up being a bitch and a half to write; the interaction between Li-Fen and Owen here had to go through no less then six different revisions until I settled on the current script. Part of it was me considering and dropping certain plot aspects, but mostly, it's because I wanted to make this story just as much about Li-Fen as it is about Owen and Chun-Li. To do that, I wanted to explore how these two influence her new life and the sort of relationship she has with them.
> 
> I intend to speed things along and shift the focus around to the relationship between Owen and Chun-Li, which I suppose most of you clicked on this story for. A problem I've run into is that the set-up I have makes it difficult to give them much one-on-one time without involving Li-Fen in some way or evoking a few professional issues, but I have a few ideas. I can't say when you'll see them, though. But then again, with how Capcom seems to be handling content for Street Fighter V now, I think I can afford to take my time.
> 
> (Thank you for remembering Rival Schools exists, Capcom.)


	4. Chapter 4

It was around 8:10 PM on a Saturday evening, and Owen found himself in the living room portion of his studio apartment. He had only recently returned from his building’s swimming pool, where he had gone to perform his bi-daily swimming session. No matter how stressful or tiring a day may’ve been, a good swim always helped him clear his mind; the fact it helped him better control his breathing only made it better for him.

Previously, he would’ve settled in for the night, taking a book or something similar in order to get ready for bed, but recently, he had added another part to his nighttime routine. At the moment, Owen was in the midst of a meditation session, the last part of a routine he had been following along with for the past several minutes. 

Ever since Li-Fen's presentation about it, he had developed something of an interest in Tai Chi, mostly for the mental benefits the practice could bring him. So whenever he could, Owen would dedicate some time to practicing through routines he could find online and so far, it had been a very helpful way to alleviate stress, as well as letting him become more mindful of what was going on around him.

Of course, this also caused him to think a lot more about _where_ he was. Even after living here for several months, Hong Kong still made him feel somewhat uneasy; it was like a ghost from the past, which was especially strange considering Owen had never set foot in the city prior to this assignment. However, it had nevertheless played a significant part in his life, even if he had only found out when he was nearing adulthood. And every time he stepped out into its bustling streets, all that came to mind was a single, burning question.

What on Earth was he doing here?

Suddenly, the serenity of his medication was interrupted by the sound of an incoming call, one that Owen had been expecting all evening. Rising up from his sitting position, he walked over to his already opened laptop and accepted the incoming call. Afterwards. he plugged in his headphones, slipped on his glasses and waited for the ones who had contacted him to appear on the screen 

After waiting for a few seconds for the app to open, two people appeared on his screen; a woman with greying, light brown hair and a pair of glasses, as well as a man with a blond hair and beard beard, both smiling broadly.

“Evening, son.” The man said to him.

“And good morning to you both.” Owen said to his parents, himself smiling from ear to ear. “How’s the form over there? You guys just wake up?” Owen followed up by asking.

“Oh, we’ve been awake for a good long while now, Owen. Wouldn’t want to sleep so much that we end up taking some from you.” His mother said, causing him to chuckle.

“How very kind of you.” He replied. Over the line, he could hear a series of collective, energetic chirping. “Ah, the whole house is awake, I see.”

“What, the birds? Yeah, they’re awake. They make sure you know when they are.” His dad said while looking over in their direction.

“I know, I know. Still, I hope they’re not giving you too much trouble.” Owen then said.

“Well, they’re loud, messy and won’t stop acting the maggot no matter how many times I try to get them to stop. All that to say it’s wonderful having them around the place, in no small part because they remind me a bit of you, when you were a boy.” His mother said, looking over in their direction and then back to him.

“Thanks, mum.” He said with a small chuckle. “So, how’re the little rascals doing anyway?” He then asked.

“Well, how about I bring them over and let them say hello?” His dad said as he stood up from his seat and walked off screen.

“Henry!” His wife called out to him.

“What? It’s high time they got out of that cage of theirs, anyhow.” Owen heard him say. His mom then sighed and looked back at the screen, a small smile on her face.

“How’s your asthma? Under control?” His mom suddenly asked.

“It’s fine. I haven’t had any bad episodes in a while. Just the usual cough or occasional sleep disruption; nothing I’m not used to.” He insisted, leading to her slightly smiling.

“That’s good.” She said.

“You’re still worried?” He said more as a statement then as a question. His condition had always been something she worried about, sometimes to an exuberant degree.

“A bit. But you know, after what happened with…” His mum started to say before pausing, her eyes trailing down to the floor. “Well, I just wanted to be sure.” She soon said.

“I understand.” He replied, knowing full well where her uncertainty stemmed from.

Soon, Owen could hear the sound of flapping wings and even more excited chirping, as well as his dad saying something to get the attention of the birds. One of them flew into the view of the screen, landing on his mother’s shoulder, who lightly laughed at his arrival.

“Oh, look who’s here.” His mom said as she held out a finger for the budgie to hop onto, which it did. “Say hi to Owen, Sammy.” She held out the budgie a bit closer to her laptop.

“Hey there, buddy. You still recognize me?” He said to the bird as it curiously stretched its neck towards the computer screen. He had a mixture of dark blue, black and white feathers, with a few pin-feathers growing on his head due to molting.

Very soon, Sammy flew off his mom’s finger and onto what he presumed to be the keyboard of their computer. Soon, he heard and saw his two companions – Ollie and Liam – fly over to join him. Despite not being able to see them, he could hear the sound of them singing, their feet clattering on the keys and the occasional mimicry of a phrase they had been taught. 

Owen couldn’t help but laugh at their antics. He had always had a soft spot for birds, ever since he had started watching them during his family’s numerous camping and hiking trips. But his love for budgies had – like many other things – been influenced by his late grandfather, who had started keeping and raising them upon his early retirement - with the rest of his family away at work or school for most of the day, they provided him with much needed company. After his death, Owen had volunteered to take them in; leaving them behind for his assignment had been one of the hardest things for him to accept.

“Aw, see? They’re happy to see you.” His dad said as he and his wife looked down at the three budgies, who were no doubt pecking at the monitor where his face was displayed. 

“Well, of course they are. And they’ll no doubt be even happier once they see you again soon.” His mom said as she picked them up with her hand, after which the three flew off back to their cage one by one.

“Speaking off, you’ve booked your flight, right, Owen?” His mom then asked.

“I have. I should be back in Halifax on the 23rd, assuming I don’t get stranded in Toronto, that is.” He said to them, causing his mother to chuckle.

“As long as you’re here by Christmas Eve, we can wait as long as we have to. Besides, it gives us more time to set the table.” His father told him, causing him to smile.

“You know when the others are going to come?” He then asked, curious as to the whereabouts of his other family members.

“Well, your sister said she and her family will be dropping by on the 24th, along with the new arrival.” His dad explained to him.

“How is Emma, by the way?” Owen then inquired.

“She’s doing well. Not sleeping as much, obviously, but she’s well. I thought you two talked not too long ago?” His mother said.

“We did. I wanted to congratulate her and Nikola in person, but you know…” He didn’t have to explain the reason for his absence.

“Well, you’ll soon be able to do just that and get to see your new nephew on top of that. Plus, I’m sure Zoey will be happy to see her uncle Owen again.” Upon hearing his father remind him of this, he smiled.

“Hmm. I’m looking forward to it.” He said in reply, after which neither him nor his parents said anything for a few seconds.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. Have you met anyone...interesting over there?” His mother asked, being barely subtle about what she meant by “interesting”.

“Mum, please…” He said in such a way that he hoped would make it clear he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Just checking. But if you ask me, it’s something you should really start thinking about.” She replied. Once he realized that she wasn’t ready to change the course of conversation, Owen looked over to his father, who looked over at his wife and then back to him.

“I mean…you would make a pretty good dad…” Owen sighed in defeat and slumped back into his chair as his dad chuckled on the other end of the line. “I mean it, you know.” He followed up by saying.

“Thanks, I guess. But let’s not spend time mulling over hypotheticals, okay? You both know the reason I came here.” He said to remind them.

“You’re right, we do. And how is all that coming along?” His father asked him.

“Well, you know how it is. I love my job and all, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking forward to not having to worry about it for a little while.” Owen answered after a brief pause. 

“Can’t say I blame you. I remember I’d sometimes feel like I was going mental when it was just you and Emma I had to think about; can only imagine what it’s like when you have a few dozen more to keep track of.” His mom chimed in to ask, causing him to lightly chuckle.

“It’s quite something, alright.” He said in agreement.

“But you’re still happy with it, aren’t you Owen?” Although he should’ve responded to his father’s question quickly and simply, Owen still found himself having to think about his answer.

“Of course I am.” He eventually answered.

“You don’t sound so sure.” His dad noted.

“Oh, that’s probably just the evening drag setting in. Had myself a pretty good workout before you two called.” He said to explain away the nature of his answer.

“Owen, come on. If you think somethings wrong, you know you can tell us. If not us, then who else?” His mother interjected to say. After a brief pause, he sighed and decided to tell them the truth.

“I...let's just say I have a lot to think about.” Owen said.

“Such as?” His father asked, leaving him to

“Well, for one there's this one student I have that's in quite a unique situation.” He then admitted, with his mom and dad's silence appearing as an invitation for him to explain. "She has a mental health condition - PTSD. I'm still not sure what caused it, but whatever it was, it took away quite a few years of school from her." His parents seemed shocked by the revelation, his mother specifically.

"PTSD?" Owen nodded to tell his mother had heard him right. "Oh my. The poor thing." She said with a noticeable poignancy. It was hardly surprising; after all, she had watched her father suffer from that same condition for most of her life.

"And how are you dealing with that?" His father eventually asked him.

"About as well as I could, I suppose. It's been tough getting her caught up and just adjusting to class life in general, but I think we have a good thing going." He said all this fairly confidentially. Over the past few months, Li-Fen had started coming to see him almost every day, be it when she was seeking help with school work or if she was simply looking for someone to get advice from. Their interactions weren't always extensive - in fact, most of the time, they were quite brief - but Owen knew that they were very important to her. Yes, he knew that all too well.

"Oh, well that's good to hear." His mother said. "But I assume you're not bringing this up because you wanted to share a success story, huh?" Owen sighed in response to his mother's words. Of course, the truth was that he often found himself questioning whether what he was doing for Li-Fen was enough, which was a mindset that he had for many of the students he taught. Still, he found himself at odds as to how exactly to tell his parents that.

"It's been...difficult, shall we say." He eventually said.

"I'm sure it has. But you think everything will turn out okay, won't you?" His mother asked, no doubt in an attempt to get him to be a bit more open.

"I sure hope so." Owen eventually replied.

"That's not a very confident answer, is it?" His father then pointed out, leaving him to once again think of what to say next.

"Well, I'm sure the two of you can understand how I might be concerned." This statement left both of his parents looking over at each-other, no doubt indicating that they did understand. Even so, Owen almost immediately regretted phrasing his response the way he did.

"Listen, I didn't mean..." "It's alright, Owen. What you're doing know, it comes with a hefty responsibility. And if I'm being honest, I don't know how you do it." His dad interrupted him by saying. 

"A lot of the time, neither do I." He admitted. 

“Oh, I don't think that's true at all. Tell me again, why did youmake the choice to go into teaching?” His father asked him as he leaned forward in his seat.

Owen looked over to the corner of the room where his grandfather’s fiddle rested just besides his bed. That had been the main reason, hadn’t it; the influence he had on him?

“I...wanted to make a difference.” He answered once he turned back to the screen.

“And that’s commendable. When I joined the navy, I had almost the exact same thought, but at the same time, there were two other things I wanted to do; make my dad proud and earn enough money to make sure that you had the best possible life I could give. Of course, that also meant I wasn’t with you as much as you probably would’ve wanted or well...needed me to be.” Owen nodded in response to his father’s words. He knew that was his way of saying sorry and although he had long accepted the reasoning for his dad’s long stretches of absence, he still wished that things had been different.

“What your father is trying to say is that we also had our doubts about whether we were doing right by you and your sister; always thinking about what we could've done differently and all that. So, we can assure you that what you're feeling right now in regards to your students is completely natural. ” After saying this, his mother herself leaned forward a bit in her seat before continuing.

"But I feel like it should be said that this girl you mentioned is...well, she's not _your_ child - none of your students are. And I'm not saying that to tell you that you shouldn't be trying your best with them or worrying about what happens to them, but to remind you that ensuring they succeed doesn't fall solely on you." Owen wanted to argue with her, but deep down, he knew that his mother was right. For all the pressure he put on himself, his students were only ever his responsibility for a mere year; they would all move on from his class and get new teachers, but through all that, their parents were the ones who were ultimately responsible for them. 

“Well, I’ve gone ahead and cast a downer on things, haven’t I?” Owen said.

“It’s fine, son. You have to talk about this sort of thing with someone, right?” His father replied, to which he replied with an understanding “hmm”.

“Anyway, I think we’ve asked you enough heavy questions for one morning, or I guess evening, in your case. We can talk about it some more when you come visit.” His mother offered.

“Sure. I’d like that.” He said to her.

“And we’ll be looking forward to it. Oh, and Owen…” His dad briefly paused before finishing his statement. “We’re proud of you. Just remember that, okay?” He took a moment to digest his words before nodding.

“Thank you. I will.” Owen replied.

“Good. Now, have a good night, son. Bye, now.” His mother said.

“I will. Bye, bye.” He replied. 

“Bye bye, bye…” His mother started to say.

“Fiona, honey?” His father suddenly said to her, catching her attention.

“Hmm?” “You’re doing it again.” All this time, he was watching their exchange with an amused smile.

“Oh, right.” She then looked back at him, then back to her husband. “I’ll just let you finish it, then.” She said, sitting back with a smile on her face as his dad nodded in response.

“Goodnight, son. We’ll see you soon.” He said to him.

“Sure thing. Bye now.” This time instead of responding verbally, his parents gave him a quick wave before the call was ended and they disappeared from his computer screen.

Silence again settled over Owen’s apartment, leaving him alone with his thoughts. It took a few moments for him to finally close his laptop and set about getting ready for bed; it was a school night after all. Once everything else was done and he was just about ready to crawl into bed, he took out his preventer inhaler from his nightstand, which he was prescribed to use every morning and evening.

Removing the inhalers cap and giving it a good shake, Owen took a deep breath before placing the opening into his mouth, allowing the medicine it contained to travel into his airways. He held his breath for a few seconds in order to let it settle, finishing the familiar procedure by breathing out. The fact that Owen had to go through this sort of ritual just so he could breathe like everyone else had always made him feel like something of an outcast, a feeling that he never could quite shake.

As he settled into bed, Owen lay there with his eyes open, thinking about the conversation he had just had with his mom and dad. Once he realized he wouldn’t catch a wink of sleep in this state, he sat up in his bed and grabbed his journal from his nightstand.

_December 17th, 2017_

_Have you ever been asked a question that you feel you should know the answer to, and yet still find yourself unable to do so? Well, I guess I just had a moment like that today. My mom and dad called me like they usually do and we started talking, which for one reason or another led to us talking about Li-Fen and just my job in general._

_It's no secret that I want my students to do well - any half-decent teacher would - but Li-Fen in particular has been a very different experience compared to most of the students I've taught. She has almost everything going against her and no matter what I do, there's no guarantee that it's going to be enough. Of course, I didn't tell them that, but m_ _aybe it’s because I’m still not used to sharing feelings like that with them, which is a strange thing to say about your own mom and dad. Granddad was always the person I went to with that sort of thing; ever since he passed, it’s been rather hard to find someone to talk about things with._

_Maybe I'm just worrying too much. Maybe Li-Fen will really turn out fine. And besides, mom told me to stop letting all this do my head in so much; after all, she's not my daughter and it isn't my responsibility to fix everything that's wrong in her life. I'm just her teacher. Yes. I play myself up a lot in my head, but that's all I am. Just a teacher._

After finishing the entry, Owen closed his journal and placed it back on his nightstand before turning off the lights. It was a while yet before he finally fell asleep, due to a combination of his turbulent thoughts and his persistently disruptive asthma. But even so, he eventually managed to doze off...

~~~~

Owen was stirred from sleep by an alarm, lifting his head up from his desk and quickly scanning his surroundings. Sitting up in his chair, he quickly pressed a button on his phone to silence the incessant alarm before standing up in order to stretch himself out. 

He had a brief window everyday that he used to catch up on the sleep he would otherwise miss because of his asthma, which unfortunately tended to flare up at night. Even when he slept soundly at night, his naps would allow him to power through the rest of the day and today, he thought, such a thing would be very necessary.

He had a flight out of Hong Kong scheduled for only two and a half hours from when school was dismissed and getting there would no doubt be a very tiring, very stressful experience. Thankfully, he had already packed his suitcase yesterday evening, meaning all that was left for him in terms of preparation was having something to eat and making sure he didn’t forget his passport before getting there by cab. Still, the getting there was what he was dreading most; Owen didn’t have his own vehicle and the route to the airport would no doubt be marred with traffic jams.

As Owen walked over to the windows of his classroom with the intention to open the blinds, he suddenly heard something just outside his door; a pair of voices.

“You sure he’s awake now?” One of them said.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear the alarm? Come on, he’ll open the door any minute.” Another replied.

“Hold on. Let me double check if it works.” He heard a young, female voice say in a quiet voice.

“Of course, it works. We tested it earlier, remember?” Another young person said.

“I know, just wait a second.” The other girl said, leading to a brief pause. “Okay, it’s ready.” By this point, he had started walking towards his door in order to better hear what they were talking about.

“Do you think he heard us?” One of them said as he got closer, no doubt having heard his approaching footsteps.

“Just hide it and get ready.” The other instructed.

By the time he reached the door, Owen had managed to guess who was waiting for him on the other side. Rolling his eyes and smiling at their lack of subtlety, he opened the door to find that, sure enough, Li-Fen and Lian were there waiting for him, with the latter holding something behind her back.

“Hi, Mr. Diedrich.” Li-Fen said to him.

“Well, hello there, you two. How can I help you?” He said to his students.

“We umm…wanted to give you something. Seeing as you’re going away for the Holidays and everything.” Lian nervously said. It was then Owen noticed a thin object in her hands.

“Oh, you don’t need to.” He insisted.

“Please, Mr. Diedrich? We worked really hard on it, I promise.” Li-Fen then looked over to Lian and motioned with her head. “Go on, give it to him.” She whispered.

Lian stepped forward and held out the unknown object to him. After looking at the two girls for a few seconds, Owen sighed and spun his chair around slightly so he was fully facing them.

“Oh, alright.” He said as he held out both his hands.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Diedrich.” Lian said as she gave him the object. Even with the present now in his hands, he still wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at.

“Aren’t you going to open it, sir?” Li-Fen suddenly asked him, causing him to look at her in confusion.

“Hmm?” He expressed in confusion.

“You see the wooden part? Just take that and pull at it gently.” Lian instructed him. 

Owen then did as she said, taking hold of the wooden accessory. Li-Fen and Lian both gave him an approving gesture, prompting him to slowly pull it away to reveal…

“Oh.” He said as he finally realized what the gift was supposed to be, causing the two girls to giggle.

It was a mostly white-colored hand fan, with a small collection of Cantonese symbols written just beside a drawing of a boat sailing over troubled waters. Owen looked over to his two students, who were looking at him expectantly.

“What do you think?” Li-Fen asked him.

“I think it looks lovely. How long did this take you to make?” He said while showing the two of them the side with the writings.

“About two weeks or so. We had to go through a few drafts before we got this one done. Drawing that boat turned out to be a lot harder than I thought.” Lian explained, with the last portion of her statement in particular catching his attention.

“Well, it’s a really nice looking boat.” He complimented them as he looked down at their work.

“Oh, not just any boat.” Lian saying this grabbed his attention. “Look a little closer.” She instructed.

Owen did as she asked and noticed a small writing along the boat’s hull, which he unfortunately couldn’t make out. 

“Give me a second.” He took the fan back to his desk and after putting on his glasses, he looked at the writing again. Once he saw what it said, he looked back to his two students in shock.

“You did not…” He said in minor disbelief.

“Hmm, now read what’s next to it.” Li-Fen then instructed as her and Lian stood with wide smiles on their faces. 

Again looking back to the fan, Owen read the additional text next to the drawing. After a moment, he was able to translate it as…

_Rise again, rise again_ _  
__Though your heart it be broken or life about to end_  
 _No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend_ _  
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again._

Owen had long been fond of these particular lyrics, ever since he was a kid. Not only because it was from a song he remembered constantly singing with his father and grandfathers on camping trips and the like, but also because of the simple message they represented, which was to simply never give up, no matter how bad things seemed for you.

“Do you like it, sir?” Lian asked him.

“I love it. Thank you, girls.” He replied. Just before he was about to fold it back up and put it away, he suddenly had a thought. “Did you intend this as a collector’s item or...?” The rather devious expressions they wore told him all he needed to know.

With an amused sigh and a shake of his head, Owen started fanning himself with the hand fan, with the airflow it provided giving him a semblance of relief from the warm air of his classroom. As he did this, his two students were very clearly enjoying the sight before them.

“How do you feel?” Li-Fen asked after he had used the fan for a few moments.

“Very beautiful.” Owen replied, evoking giggles from the two girls. “You know, I just might get used to this.” Was what he said after spending a few more seconds fanning himself.

“Do you think it’ll help with your asthma?” He stopped and looked over to his students after Lian asked him this, smiling once he recognized the reason they made him this fan.

“Well, I don’t know about that…but it’ll certainly be a nice thing to have when it’s hot outside.” He said as he folded the fan up. Humid temperatures did occasionally trigger his symptoms, but he usually had plans in place to prevent that from happening. The thing was, he couldn’t carry an air conditioner around with him outside, so maybe this could very well end up helping him.

“Now, is there anything else I can do for you? It’ll be a little while before you can ask again, after all.” Owen asked his two students.

“It’s alright, Mr. Diedrich. We just wanted to give that to you before we went.” Lian insisted, but Li-Fen seemed to be a bit more uncertain.

“Actually, um…there was something else.” Li-Fen spoke up, which caught both his and Lian’s attention. 

“What is it, Li-Fen?” She didn’t answer his question right away, instead first turning to her companion. 

“Listen, Lian. Would you be okay waiting for me outside for a bit?” Li-Fen asked her classmate.

“Sure, but you remember that we have people waiting on us, right?” Lian replied.

“Don’t worry, I remember. Go - I’ll catch up, I promise.” Lian stayed quiet for only a second before replying.

“Okay.” She eventually said before turning back to him. “Bye, Mr. Diedrich. Enjoy your break.” Lian said as she extended a fist to him.

“You too, Lian. I’ll see you in a few weeks.” He replied while giving her a quick fist bump.

“Well, the floor is yours, I guess. I’ll save you a spot.” Lian said to Li-Fen afterwards.

“Thanks, Lian.” She nodded in understanding before moving to exit the classroom, with both Owen and Li-Fen watching her go. Once she was gone, Li-Fen turned to look at him, appearing to be rather nervous once more.

“How’re you feeling, Li-Fen?” He asked her.

“Alright, I guess. I haven’t had any major episodes for a while.” She replied, donning a small smile as she did. 

“That’s good to hear. You got any plans for the break?” Owen then asked.

“Nothing all that exciting, but I don’t really mind. Can’t complain about having some time where everything just...settles down for a while.” Li-Fen replied.

“(Hmm) Well, I hope you’ll have yourself a nice, good rest. I’d say you more than earned it.” He replied.

“Thank you. But you know…” She took a small step forward. “I’ll miss you, Mr. Diedrich.” She admitted, which admittedly took him a bit by surprise.

“Ah, Li-Fen. It’s just a few weeks; I can promise we’ll be back here before you know it.” He said to her.

“You’re probably right.” She replied. Owen then looked down at the fan he had just been given, a small question forming in his head.

“Say, if you don’t mind me asking, how’d you two settle on this design?” He asked while holding up the fan.

“Oh, you mean the boat? That was sort of my idea, but Lian did most of the ‘artistic’ work.” She explained.

“Hmm, I see. But...I don’t think I ever told either of you about that song.” Owen pointed out.

“You’re right, you didn’t. I...kind of found it myself.” Li-Fen said, appearing somewhat embarrassed by the fact.

“Really now?” Owen said with an amused smile, with Li-Fen nodding in response.

“I...got that one tune you played a few months ago stuck in my head. One day I got bored and tried to find it; after a while, I just kind of stumbled on this singer and this song. I recognized it and well...I really liked it.” She explained.

“Then you went through the rest of his songs, right?” Owen asked.

Li-Fen’s eyes trailed away in embarrassment. “Mmm…” She expressed with a smile, which gave him enough of an answer.

“Didn’t think that it would be your type of music.” Owen said after a small chuckle.

“Me neither. But, I found that it’s really catchy, even if he sings about boats a whole lot.” Li-Fen replied.

“He does, doesn’t he? It’s actually how I first learned about him - me oul fella, he works with boats a lot, so he tended to hear old Stan’s songs very often..” Owen told her.

“Your ‘oul fella’?” Li-Fen repeated after him in confusion, to which he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“My dad. He knew almost all of his songs by heart and how to sing them too. Hardly a trip went by when he didn’t burst into song around the campfire at least once.” Owen recounted with an amused smile.

“And...did you sing with him, Mr. Diedrich?” She then suddenly asked him, which admittingly surprised him a little.

“Well, I’m not sure you could call what I did ‘singing’. More akin to screeching, really.” Him saying this caused Li-Fen to giggle before falling silent for a few moments. 

"Your dad sounds really nice, sir." Li-Fen eventually said. 

"Sure..." Owen said in mild agreement, which Li-Fen seemed to take notice off.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him.

"Nothing, Li-Fen. I'm fine." He said to assure her, trying to steer away from talking about his father more than he had to.

"Oh, okay." Li-Fen said, though she didn't seem entirely convinced.

Owen would never claim that his father was a bad person or even that he didn't love him, but it was hard to get past the scant role he had played in his life while he was growing up, especially compared to other members of his family. His mom had always looked out for him; his sister had essentially been his best friend for most of his life; his grandad...well, nothing more had to be said about him. His dad though... he was just that to him, really, which was something he wished he didn't feel.

"Um, Mr. Diedrich. Can I ask you a question...about your family?" Li-Fen appeared somewhat hesitant as she said this.

"I don't see why not." He said in reply, admittedly somewhat curious about what she wanted to know.

"You're visiting them, right - in Canada?" She asked.

"That's right. Why?" He confirmed, unsure if this was all she wanted to know.

"That's just your *childhood* family, right? You don't have a...you know." It took a moment for him to get just what Li-Fen was asking him.

"Oh, uh...I don't." Owen quickly answered. "Why do you ask?" He then said.

"No reason. Just...curious." Li-Fen replied, seeming somewhat nervous as she did.

"Right." Owen was still somewhat confused by why she would ask him this, but he decided to move on. "Was that why you stayed behind, or...?"

“Well, no. I wanted to…” She seemed to be unsure of what to say next, eventually appearing to just give up and instead take her backpack off her shoulders.

Li-Fen unzipped her bag and took out a plain, yet familiar envelope. “Here. I wanted you to have this.” She said as she held it out. Owen looked down at the envelope and despite knowing what it was she was offering him, he did his best to appear surprised.

“Ah, Li-Fen, stop - you’re spoiling me.” He insisted.

“You’re really going to turn it down…again?” Now, Owen’s surprise was genuine.

“What do you mean ‘again’?” He asked in a way that he hoped would suggest confusion on his part, but judging from the smile and raised brow on Li-Fen’s face, she wasn’t convinced.

“Oh, alright. Give it here.” Owen accepted the envelope from Li-Fen and held it in his hands for a few seconds before turning his eyes back to her.

“How long have ya known?” Li-Fen chuckled in response to his question.

“A few months. She didn’t sell the excuse very well.” Owen couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

“I see.” He said, looking down at the envelope immediately afterwards. “No hard feelings, right?” Owen asked just to be sure.

“Yeah. No hard feelings.” She replied before another brief period of silence followed, which finished when Li-Fen picked up her backpack.

“Anyway, I don’t want to take up any more of your time, but…” She said as she put the straps over her shoulder. “I hope you enjoy your trip.” She finished saying.

“Thank you, Li-Fen.” 

After standing silently for a few seconds, she spread her arms apart in a way that must’ve indicated she wanted to give him a hug. Owen quickly looked over to the door and back to her before deciding how to proceed.

“Alright. Quickly.” He said as he stood up from his seat.

With his invitation, Li-Fen went up to him and put her head against his side as her arms embraced his back and torso, with Owen putting a hand on her back as a way to return the gesture. The main reason he opted for the “side hug” approach was for the sake of appearances; he himself made a point of never initiating hugs with students and only doing so when they asked him for one, yet even then he rarely accepted out right.

Still, with a student like Li-Fen, he knew she could use all the reassurance or comfort she could get, so he couldn’t bring himself to say no. It was a way of showing he was there for her.

“You promise to read it?” She asked, looking up at him during the hug.

“Hmm, I will. Don’t you worry about that.” He assured her, giving her a gentle pat on the back as he did.

“Okay.” She let go of him then. “Well, um... goodbye, Mr. Diedrich. Have a Merry Christmas.” Li-Fen gave a small wave as she started to walk towards the door.

“And to you as well.” Once he said this, she fully turned away. “Oh, and Li-Fen?” She made it a few steps before stopping and looking back at him. “I’m proud of you.” 

Li-Fen’s expression signified she had been somewhat surprised by him saying this, but this soon shifted into a somewhat nervous smile. If she wanted to say anything, the words must’ve failed her, for her response came from an understanding nod, which Owen returned in kind. With that, she finally walked out the door, giving him one more small wave as she turned the corner.

Owen spent a few more moments looking after her before turning his attention to the envelope she had just given him. The fact it was finally in his hands was in itself a sign of the progress Li-Fen had made over the past few months: she had started showing newfound confidence in answering and asking questions, her focus had improved across the board and as he had previously seen, she’d even made a friend. Her and Lian had become almost inseparable, which in certain instances proved troublesome, but he could forgive them for always pairing up for group projects if it meant they were comfortable.

There was still a fair amount of work to do to truly realize her potential, but Li-Fen was already making heavy strides and he could only see her improving in the future if her current momentum continued. 

For a moment, Owen considered whether he should open the envelope. A part of him had been curious about what Li-Fen had written ever since him and Chun-Li had made that hasty pact; it was hard for him to believe that had been four months ago. Ultimately, he decided to open the envelope, carefully tearing it open and taking out the letter inside, which he found to be rather lengthy.

After taking a moment to adjust his glasses, he started reading it.

_Dear Mr. Diedrich._

_This is something like my fifth time writing this from scratch, but I have something I really wanted to tell you. Maybe I should’ve told you it in person, but it’s still hard for me to talk about it; putting it down in words was difficult enough. However, I feel like I’d be doing a disservice both to you and to myself to keep it a secret._

_As you know, I have something called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have it because, for more than two years, me and my parents were prisoners. I don’t know if you still remember the “Black Moons” Incident from a few months back, but the organization who were responsible for it -Shadaloo - had kidnapped my parents in order to help them program them. They used me as leverage to ensure their cooperation and almost every day, my life was under threat. It was a horrifying experience, but what happened once my parents had completed their work was what haunts me more than anything._

_The one in charge of the project discovered that we had been attempting to sabotage his work and after my mom and dad were forced to confess to it while I was once again used as a hostage, they were murdered right in front of me. He ended up sparing me that day and I was eventually rescued by Chun-Li, who you know as my mother/guardian._

_You might be wondering why I’m telling you all this, but I hope it helps you better understand what I’m about to say. For quite some time after my rescue, for whatever reason, I had this feeling like I was missing something; like a void that had yet to be filled. I now understand where this feeling came from. Everything I had was suddenly taken from me: my home, my family; all of it. But I have a new home now and Chun-Li has been a great parent to me, but even with all that, that feeling was still there._

_Which brings me, finally, to you. When I first started school, I felt isolated and scared much like how I did during my captivity; I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me and so no one could take me again. The only times when I didn’t feel so alone was when I was in your class. I know I didn’t talk to you much back then, but the small things you did, like coming over to my desk to check on me or asking if I needed help, meant so much to me. You’ve encouraged me to do things I never would’ve done otherwise and never once made me doubt I could do them. You’re always there for me when I need help and I feel like I can trust you with just about anything. And any time I’m having a bad day, you always manage to cheer me up._

_So, I guess what I’m trying to say with all this is that, right now, you’re the closest thing I have to a father. And I can’t thank you enough for that._

_Have a Merry Christmas, Mr. Diedrich._ _Sincerely,_

_“Xu” Xiang Li-Fen._

_P.S. I also think it’s kind of funny how you never seem to finish words ending with g. The way you talk is so interesting._

By the time he finished the letter, Owen had to take off his reading glasses to wipe away a small tear. He spent several more moments looking over it. This was unlike anything he had ever received, perhaps the most personal message a student had ever given him. He had sympathized with Li-Fen’s plight since the beginning of the year, but knowing the reasoning for her diagnosis only deepened it. He knew all too well what it was like to lose someone important to him, but the pain he felt must’ve paled in comparison to hers.

Still, knowing just that the time she had spent in his class thus far, and the time he had dedicated to her meant that much to her was undeniably heartwarming. To think that he had made this much of a difference in a child’s life, even in so short a time-frame.

It was moments like this that reminded him why he became a teacher to begin with.

~~~~

Sometime later in the day, Chun-Li found herself walking down the halls of Li-Fen’s school, carrying a small red box adorned with a yellow ribbon. Having signed off from work a little over a half hour ago, she had been able to change out of her police uniform and into a more casual outfit: a thin jacket over a blue blouse, as well as jeans and a pair of white tennis shoes. Since she had known in advance that she didn’t need to pick up her daughter for another few hours, it gave her some time to herself; how she would spend it, she still wasn’t sure. Regardless of that, she was certain of one thing she wanted to do.

She found that Owen’s classroom door was still open, which showed that she hadn’t come too late. Sure enough, Chun-Li found him sitting behind his desk, in the process of looking over something on his laptop; whatever it was he was focusing on, it seemed to be frustrating him. She soon knocked on the door to get his attention, which caused him to turn his head in her direction, appearing rather surprised to see her.

“Ah, Ms. Xiang. What a pleasant surprise.” He said, softly smiling at her.

“Hello, Owen. I am still allowed to call you that, right?” She said both as a joke and to lightheartedly remind him; he still seemed somewhat hesitant to use anything but their formal names.

“Eh, I don't see why not; school's out, after all. Anyway, what brings you here?” He followed up by asking, slightly spinning his chair around so he was facing her.

“I was just hoping to catch you before you left. You got a minute?” She asked him, slightly lifting up the box she was holding as she did.

“By all means, come in.” He motioned for her to enter and stood up to meet her. “Hm, no Li-Fen?” Owen said.

“Oh, she’s...out. From what I understand, her and that Lian girl she’s made friends with are having a little get-together.” She explained, stopping just in front of him.

“Really? Well, good for her.” He appeared to quickly eye her up and down. “And from the looks of things you have some time to yourself.” He observed.

“I guess so.” She replied. For the next little while, the two of them stood in silence, maintaining eye contact throughout. For whatever reason, Chun-Li almost forgot what she was going to say, even if the reason for it was plainly visible in her hands.

“Anyway, I heard you were heading back home for the holidays, so I figured I’d drop by and give you a little something before then.” She explained after she found her tongue, briefly dropping his gaze and looking down at the object in her hands, which she then held out to him.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Owen said, even though he didn’t accept it from her.

“Does that mean you’ll take it?” She asked, still holding out the box.

“Mmm, I don’t think I should.” He replied, crossing his arms as he did. 

“Do you mean that or is it just for custom’s sake?” Despite her saying this partly in jest, she also wanted to make sure he was comfortable accepting it.

“What custom?” He said, no doubt feigning ignorance as to what she meant.

“Well, okay then. Still, I’d like for you to have it - think of it as a way of me saying thank you for, well...everything.” Owen looked down at the small box in her hands and then back at her.

“Very well. Thank you, Mi...Chun-Li.” He corrected himself mid sentence as he accepted the box with both hands, which she acknowledged with another amused smile.

“You’re welcome. It’s not much, but I hope you like it.” She said to him once he accepted the gift. Though Owen didn’t open the box’s lid - no doubt because doing so was seen as rather impolite - he did seem to have some idea of what was inside.

“Hmm, how pleasant.” He noted, having no doubt caught on to what she had given him.

“You like it?” She asked.

“Oh, I can never say no to something that’ll keep me organized, or tea, for that matter. That is what this is for, right?” He asked just to be sure. 

“Yep. Your own personal teabox, with a few complimentary samples picked out by yours truly.” Owen gave her a warm smile after she had described the present.

“That’s very kind of you, but... I didn’t get you anything.” He said.

“I wasn’t expecting you to.” She replied.

“Well, maybe.” He pulled up his bag and set about opening it. “But, seeing as you’re here, I suppose that - if nothing else - I can give you a small gift of information.”

Upon saying this, he took out a folded slip of paper out of his bag and held it up to show her. It didn’t take long for Chun-Li to realize what it was.

“She did it.” She softly said, which Owen confirmed with a small nod.

“You sound rather surprised. Didn’t she tell you she would?” He asked as he lowered the letter down.

“No. Truth be told, I’ve...practically forgotten about it.” She admitted.

“Then you must’ve put on a very convincing performance.” Owen said with a cheeky smile.

“Very funny, Owen.” Chun-Li said.

“Why, thank you. But don’t let that detract from what this represents, because this - it’s a sign Li-Fen is striding forward, even if by a little.” He said, again holding up the letter.

Chun-Li knew exactly what he meant. It had been more than four months since the two of them had met in that conference and almost every day since, she’d watch as Li-Fen slowly came out of her shell. Eventually, she had started coming home from school with a happy smile and a lively expression, telling her stories of something or another that she had done that day: playing a game of jianzi for the first time; trying out for a club or other extracurriculars; figuring out a math problem in her after school help session. This wasn’t the case every day, of course, but the growth in her confidence had been noticeable regardless. 

“Needless to say, I’m happy to see it.” She said with a proud smile.

“Me too...Chun-Li. Me too.” Owen replied, leading to a brief period of silence between them, which ended when he once again put down the letter.

“Well, um...as much as I’d like to stay and chat, I’m afraid I need to head on. By all accounts, I probably should’ve been out of here by now.” He said to her as he set about putting Li-Fen’s letter, along with his laptop and the rest of his belongings into his bag.

“I see.” Chun-Li noticed that Owen seemed to be in a bit of a rush, which other than letting her guess what he would be doing later on, also gave her an idea.

“I take it you’re flying out today?” She asked to get his attention.

“Heh, how’d you guess?” He replied.

“Just a hunch. When do you have to be at the airport?” Chun-Li inquired as he finished up his packing.

“Well, I’m supposed to take off just before seven. Though I imagine I’ll be up to 90 trying to make my way over there regardless of when it is.” She acknowledged him with an amused “hmm”, just before she decided to go through with her idea.

“I don’t imagine you’d like a ride over there?” She asked him, which immediately grabbed his attention.

“Oh, I can’t ask you to do that. I can get there just fine on my own.” He responded before slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“You sure? Because I have plenty of time to kill.” She said, crossing her arms across her chest as she did.

“Hmm, is that right?” Owen said as he looked over to her.

“Mm hmm.” She said to confirm her earlier statement, not breaking eye contact with him for a moment.

Chun-Li waited as he no doubt thought about the prospect in his head, which resulted in a few moments of silence as they simply looked at each-other, both of them wearing shrewd smiles on their faces. Despite this, she left the decision to him; if he said no, she wouldn’t pester him any further about it.

“Well, in that case…” He started to say, but didn’t finish the sentence, which prompted her to raise an expecting brow. After a few more seconds of silence, he finally gave her an answer.

“Eh, what the hell?” Owen said, slightly shrugging his shoulders as he did.

“I assume that means yes?” This was meant more as a statement then a question, even if she was somewhat surprised he had accepted the offer at all.

“Sure, I’ll take you up on that. It’ll spare me the trouble of getting a cab if anything else.” Owen replied, turning to pick up both the tea caddie and his fiddle case.

“Ah, see? You save time; I get something to do; it’s win-win.” She said to him. 

“Heh heh, I guess so. Now, shall we get going?” 

Chun-Li nodded in understanding and fell in step with him as he walked towards the exit. Once they were out the door, Owen turned towards the door with the intent to lock it and saw that she had closed it behind them. Chun-Li silently motioned towards the door with her head and eyes, with Owen recognizing the intention behind it.

“Hold this, please.” He said as he held out the caddie to her, which she took. Owen then fished his keys out of his right coat pocket and locked the door to his classroom. After he was done, he turned back to Chun-Li.

“Thanks.” He said, motioning for her to give it back to him.

“It’s fine. I’ll just carry it the rest of the way.” She insisted.

“Suit yourself, I suppose.” He replied. With that, the two of them started on their way. “So, you didn’t come here in your work car, right?” He said as he looked over at her, no doubt noticing her lack of her uniform like in the last few times she visited.

“I assure you, Owen, you have nothing to fear from me.” She replied.

“Well, if you say so.” Owen said, turning away to look straight ahead as he did. After thinking about why he would consider asking something like that, Chun-Li couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What?” He asked, taking notice of her amusement.

“Nothing. Just glad that I thought to change before coming here, is all.” She told him, which after a few seconds elicited a small chuckle from him as well.

“You know what, me too.” She was sure he was. His students and especially his higher ups would no doubt ask a lot of questions of why he was seemingly driven away by a police officer.

Once they were out of the building and getting close to her car, Chun-Li handed the caddie back to him so she could fish out her keys.

“So, where to?” Chun-Li asked once the car had been unlocked.

“Shama Fortress Hill, just in front of the train station. I’m guessing you know where that is?” He replied 

“Sure do.” She said as she opened the passenger’s side door open for him. “Hop in. I’ll take you there.” 

Owen nodded and entered the car as she circled to get to the driver’s seat. Once, she was inside, she noticed that the air was rather stuffy, which led her to look over to him to make sure it wasn’t taking a toll on his breathing.

“Mind if I…” He started to say, motioning to the car’s air conditioner.

“Go ahead.” Chun-Li replied rather quickly, which prompted him to turn it on. “You all set?” She asked to make sure he was comfortable.

“I am. Let’s get going.” She set about maneuvering them out of the driveway and onto the open road.

“So, I assume you're heading back home?” Chun-Li asked once the car was in motion.

"That's right. I'm spending the holidays with my folks." He confirmed.

"You excited to see them again?" "Of course. I haven't properly seen any of them in months, so it'll be nice to catch up face-to-face finally." Said Owen as he reclined in the passenger's seat. "What about you, then? Have any plans for the holidays?" 

"Not really. I don't celebrate Christmas or anything like that, but now that school's out I guess I'll have to go on leave until the break's over regardless." Chun-Li replied.

"That's what I thought. No one's going to be there to pick up your slack." Chun-Li quickly took notice of his tone. Was he teasing her? 

"Heh heh, I'm just codding you. I'm sure you'll be fine." Owen then said to her.

"Right." Was all she said in return. She of course had no idea what he had just said, but she decided to roll with it.

"So anyway, do you have any last minute packing you have to do?” She clarified for him.

“I finished packing yesterday, so all that’s left for me is to grab it and be on my way.” He answered.

“And anything after that?” She then asked.

“Nothing, just straight to the airport." Owen replied.

“What, you don't even want to get something to eat?” Chun-Li asked with a small smile, deciding to have a little fun. Owen turned his head towards her in mild surprise before his eyes glazed to the side, suggesting he must’ve been thinking of something.

“Eh, if push comes to shove, I’ll grab something at the food court. Best not take up more of your time than I need to.” Was his answer, which she acknowledged with a nod.

“Your money, your call.” She replied.

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll have much of _that_ left after this trip.” Owen quipped, catching her attention.

“Yeah, how much are you spending?” “Close to a grand - but I’d wager most of that is thanks to the flight I have to take from Toronto to Halifax, which aren’t all that far apart, mind you.” Owen replied to her question.

“I’m not sure I believe you.” Chun-Li said in reply.

“Say’s someone who’s clearly never experienced the joys of Canadian air travel.” He said in a humorous tone, eliciting a small chuckle from her. "And you want to know the best part? I'll get to experience it all over again in just two months time." This caught her attention, as she could think of only one way he would find himself travelling at this time.

"Ah, already planning your Lunar New Year getaway, are you?" She pointed out.

"Not exactly. I'll just be going back to celebrate with my family again." Now this had been something she hadn't been expecting to hear, with Owen no doubt taking notice of her surprise. "My mother's half-Cantonese." He clarified in order to break the silence that followed.

"Oh, I see." Said Chun-Li, trying her best to stay focused on the road ahead, unsure of what to say next. "But the timing's still great for you, right? You get two chances to visit home instead of one." She eventually said, remembering what they had been talking about before.

"Well, the bright side of being here is that both of my family's major holidays are public holidays; if I was back home, I'd have to use up some of my vacation days just to celebrate the Lunar New Year." Owen explained to her.

"And the dark side is you have to fly back and forth to take advantage of that." Chun-Li pointed out.

"Exactly." Owen said with an amused smile. 

“Yeah, air travel can be a real pain, especially when you're doing it so often.” She said to carry on the conversation.

“I take it that means you do a lot of travelling?” Owen asked.

“That's quite the understatement. Brazil, India, Russia; name a hotspot, odds are I’ve been there.” Chun-Li answered.

“Hmm, you sound like quite the tourist.” He commented.

“Thank you, but those trips were almost all for work.” She said in response.

“Work? Didn’t think the Hong Kong Police took business trips.” He said, no doubt intending it as a joke.

“Heh heh, they don’t. Interpol agents on the other hand…” This caused Owen to look at her in surprise.

“Go way outta that. You serious?” He said.

“Yep.” She then said.

“Oh my word.” After this exclamation a brief silence settled between them. “So…you gonna tell me what happened on these trips of yours or is that classified?” He asked, no doubt interested in her supposed “missions”.

“Maybe later. We’re getting close; there’s your place just up ahead.” She pointed out to him.

“So it is. And with no where for you to wait, it seems.” He said, making note of the lack of any reasonable places to park the car. 

“(sigh) That’s Hong Kong for you. What are you thinking?” She asked him.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a car park not far from here.” He suggested.

“We’d have to find a spot first and who knows how long that’ll take. How about this. I’ll let you out and then I’ll quickly circle around the block; you get your stuff, wait for me, we quickly get it in and be on our way.” She laid out her idea as he listened. 

“Sounds like a plan.” He said in agreement.

Their vehicle pulled into the roadway closest to the entrance, stopping on the side of the road.

“You’re sure you can bring it all down in one go, right?” She asked as he took off his seat belt.

“I should manage just fine. I’ll try and make it quick.” He said just before opening the car door, with Chun-Li giving him an understanding nod just before he left.

As soon as he was at a safe distance, Chun-Li drove off, taking a right turn as Owen crossed the street to his building. As she drove, she decided to turn on the radio to help pass the time. She made a habit of keeping an ear on international news in the off chance anything regarding a possible resurgence of Shadaloo came to light, seeing as many key figures in the organization managed to flee after it fell.

So far, Balrog had been tracked down and apprehended, though the young man who Guile had seen accompanying him had yet to be found. Vega seemed to be keeping a low profile, but she was told that authorities were keeping an eye on him. And despite the fire that had consumed Shadaloo’s main base of operations, F.A.N.G’s body hadn’t been found. He was the one that left her the most worried; the other two Kings had been in it for the money, but F.A.N.G – he was utterly devoted to Bison. If anyone would try to revive the syndicate, it was him.

Once she had given Owen enough time to grab his things, Chun-Li circled back around to find that, sure enough, he was waiting for her on the sidewalk, with a wheeled luggage bag and what looked to be his fiddle case with him. Checking to make sure there weren’t too many other cars behind her, she pulled over just in front of him, rolling down her window as she did.

“I hope that's everything?” She said to him.

“I'd sure hope so.” In response, Chun-Li lightly laughed and unlocked her car.

“Well, go on, then. Get those things in here before we end up causing a gridlock.” She instructed. As he set about putting his luggage in the back of her car, she observed his progress while tapping her fingers on the wheel.

“I would’ve written any one else a ticket by now.” She warned in a half serious, half joking way. 

“Save your ink, I’m coming.” He replied as he finished putting in his case, before closing the door. He then quickly circled around the car before hopping back into the passenger’s seat.

“Right, I think it’s time we got a move on.” He said as he put on his seatbelt.

“Agreed.” She said before setting the car in motion yet again. 

“Phew…” He coughed into his sleeve, no doubt from the physical excretion from carrying his luggage while in a rush. She cast a concerned eye in his direction as the coughing continued for a short while, eventually stopping when he leaned back in his seat; as he did, he must’ve noticed her glancing at him.

“Oh, don’t you mind me. If things go south, I got all the medication I’d need on me.” He said to quell her concern.

“Well, alright. Still, try to relax, will you? We’ve got a fairly lengthy drive ahead of us.” She replied as she turned her full attention to the road.

“Whatever you say, officer.” She acknowledged his statement with an amused “hmm” before a brief silence settled over him. As they drove around, the news radio continued to play. Eventually, the broadcaster started talking about the world of entertainment and some more minor stories.

“ _On social media across the world, speculation continues to run rampant about the true nature of a breakout Internet personality, known to the public as the self-proclaimed ‘President of the World.’ His streams now garner hundreds of thousands of viewers, who tune in to listen to his extensive, bizarre speeches about his dream to, supposedly, unify the people of planet Earth. The man behind the persona has not yet been identified, but his more vocal online supporters have taken to calling him ‘President G’, with the G in this instance being a reference to the Greek deity Gaia, the personification of the Earth.”_

“So, he’s got a name now, does he? That’s something, I guess.” Owen said, having by now settled back into his seat.

“Who does?” She asked in confusion.

“You know, the one the radio was just talking about. The president guy?” He said to clarify, which did little to clear up her confusion.

“There an election going on that I don’t know about?” She then asked.

“No, I don’t think he’s running for anything. But he’s an old-fashioned looking fella: top hat, golden tattoos on his arms, sounds like he’s stuck in the 1800’s.” This description finally clicked in Chun-Li’s head.

“Oh, him.” She said. “I’m pretty sure Li-Fen pointed him out to me not too long ago. He seems like an…interesting character.” This was the only description of the guy that sprung to mind.

“I take it that means you don’t have any concrete answers on him either?” Owen said.

“Should I?” She responded by asking, wondering why he thought she would.

“Well, I mean…you did say you worked for Interpol. Figured he might’ve been of some interest.” He explained, but this only furthered her disbelief.

“We don’t keep tabs on Internet personalities unless they’ve been accused of something truly heinous, and even then, that’s mostly the responsibility of the local police force. Besides, it looks to me like he’s just practicing his right to freedom of expression; nothing really wrong with that, other than what he’s saying being a little out there.” She briefly explained to him.

“I suppose that makes sense. And honestly, I’m having a hard time believing he’s serious about this whole “United Earth” thing he keeps going on about.” Owen eventually said.

“And why’s that?” Her question seemed to slightly surprise him.

“Well, it’s crazy. He’s going to have his work cut out for him if he wants to pull that off and I don’t see Internet streams getting him very far. It has to be an act – an entertaining one, but an act nonetheless.” He replied, but Chun-Li wasn’t fully convinced.

“I don’t know. He sounds pretty serious.” She said.

“Then I guess he’s just off his rocker.” Chun-Li chuckled in response.

“Maybe. But even so, it seems to me like he has ambitions and I'm sure I don't need to tell you the lengths people like that go to achieve those ambitions.” She pointed out. 

“True, but he’s no doubt not the only one who has them. You ask me, sooner or later he’s going to end up ticking off the wrong type of people, assuming he hasn’t already. Odds are he’ll be off the air before he gets anywhere close to taking off.” 

She saw some merit to Owen’s prediction, but that only made her feel more uneasy regarding this new face. Despite this “G’s” intentions not seeming overtly malevolent as say Bison or even Seth, their goals were uncomfortably similar. They sought power and she saw the lengths they had gone to acquire that power. Someone ought to keep a close eye on him.

“Say, which tunnel are you taking us through?” Owen asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Western.” She answered, which seemed to surprise him.

“Isn’t that the priciest of the lot?” He followed up by asking.

“Yeah, but it should be quicker than going through the Central crossing. We’re guaranteed to get stuck in there.” She rationalized.

“And Western we’re only _almost_ guaranteed to get stuck in.” Owen said.

“Hmph. Pick your poison.” She said, giving him a small smile as she did. 

He gave a small sigh. “Well, so long as it gets us there...” He eventually said.

“That’s the spirit.” She said to close the conversation.

Chun-Li continued driving along the route, taking them almost all the way through Causeway Bay and through the tunnel connecting the two major parts of the city. They ran into only moderate traffic on their trip, which made it so that they managed to reach the toll booth on the opposite end of the tunnel without much hassle.

Once they were waiting for their turn at the kiosk, Owen seemed to be silently considering something. “Say, how do these guys want you to pay?” He asked her.

“Cash or credit, I’m pretty sure.” She responded.

“Perfect.” Chun-Li looked over to see that he was scrounging through his bag.

“What’re you doing?” She asked just before he took out his wallet, which by itself answered her question. With a slightly surprised smile and scoff, she said, “Oh, no. Don’t even think about it.” 

“Why? I can afford it.” He replied.

“So can I. And it’s my car, so I must insist.” She reminded him.

“On the contrary, you wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t your passenger. I think I can spare $75.” Before she could respond, the car in front of them started moving, causing her to turn back to the road.

Chun-Li let out a sigh as she put the car into a slow motion. “Get it ready.” She reluctantly instructed him. By the time they reached the toll booth, Owen had taken out a single bill of 100 Hong Kong Dollars - no doubt originally intended as cab fare - and handed it over to her just before the attendant noticed them.

“ _Good Afternoon. Is this your own private vehicle?”_ The female attendant inquired in Cantonese.

“ _It is.”_ Chun-Li politely replied.

“ _That’ll be $75. Are you paying with cash or card?”_ The attendant said.

“ _Cash.”_ The operator nodded in understanding and reached out her hand from the booth to receive the bill. As she processed the payment, Chun-Li looked back at Owen to find him sitting with a small smile on his face, which she returned while shaking her head in minor disbelief.

“ _Thank you for your payment. Here’s your change.”_ She heard the attendant say, drawing her attention.

“ _Thank you.”_ Chun-Li said to her as she received back a $20 bill and a $5 coin.

“ _You’re clear to go. Enjoy the rest of your trip.”_ She nodded before driving through the booth onto the open highway. Once they were a fair bit away, Chun-Li held out the change to her passenger.

“Would you be mad if I told you to keep the change?” He asked her in a way where she wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

“Owen...” She replied.

“Hey, don’t forget, you have to pay on the way back too.” He pointed out, not making any moves to take the money back. With a sigh, Chun-Li placed the change into the empty cup holder so she could use it later.

“Oh, wait, hold on. I remember there’s a toll for Lantau Link as well; guess that means I owe you another tenner.” Owen said as he took out his wallet again.

“First, it’s ten dollars both ways and second, you don’t really owe me anything.” She said to him before he could take anything out.

“Sure I do. You took time out of your day to help me and if you ask me…” He took the equivalent change out of his wallet. “This is the very least I can do in return.” Owen said as he put it in along with the rest of the money.

Chun-Li lightly sighed. “Fine. If you insist.” She conceded.

“I do. And for the record, I would’ve been fine waiting in traffic for a few minutes.” He said to her with a small smile.

“Why, to save a few bucks?” She replied in a humorous jest.

“Heh heh, sure.” Chun-Li knew that wasn’t the actual reason, but regardless, she gave Owen a half smile to show she understood what he meant.

“Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” She said after a brief pause.

“That depends. What about?” Owen replied.

“You said your mother was half-Cantonese, right?” He looked over to her and slightly raised his brow, clearly having not expected the question. "Right. Why?" He said in reply.

"Well, I was just curious. You wouldn't happen to have relatives from here by any chance, would you?" He appeared somewhat hesitant to answer her question at first.

"My grandmother was." He eventually replied.

"Ah. Okay then." Was all she said once she received this piece of information, allowing silence to settle over them once again.

"Was that really it?" Owen soon said. Chun-Li had admittedly not wanted to pry too deep into his personal and familial history, but his question sounded almost like an invitation of sort.

"I mean...is there anything else you think I should know?" She coyly asked him.

"Well, I suppose if I had to start somewhere, it's that the other half of my mother's family was Irish. My father's side on the other hand is Canadian, but if we're being really specific, German-Canadian." Owen went on to explain.

"German, you say?" She repeated, somewhat surprised by this revelation.

“Well, the name ‘Diedrich’ had to have come from somewhere. It sure wasn’t Ireland.” He replied, getting quite a bit of amusement from this turn of the conversation.

“And do you know any German?” She followed up by asking.

“ _Only what I was taught at home.”_ He replied in his other ancestral tongue, catching her completely by surprise.

“Okay, you do.” She said with a small laugh. “That’s it though, right? No other languages to speak off?” Chun-Li followed up by asking.

“ _Well, if you didn’t know, Canada has two official languages.”_ He replied in perfect French.

“Oh, now you’re just showing off.” She said, evoking yet another chuckle from him.

“Hey, you asked the question, not me.” He reminded her.

“I know. _But_ _two can play at that game.”_ It was her turn to surprise him, replying to him in perfect French. “Interpol’s headquartered in France. Figured it’d be a good skill to have.” She explained, giving him a quick glance as she did.

"Uh-huh." She smiled at him and turned her attention back to the road.

"So, to get back on topic, I'm guessing you're partly here to 'get in touch with your heritage', as it were?" Chun-Li then asked him.

"Something like that." Owen replied somewhat cryptically, catching her attention.

"And what does that mean?" She asked, leaving it to him to answer. As before, he seemed hesitant, but he nevertheless sighed and went on to speak.

"Believe it or not, I'm the first member of either side of my family to step foot in Hong Kong since...well, since they met here for the first time."

As she listened to Owen’s explanation, she tried to think of anyway such a thing could’ve happened. Hong Kong was an international hub, so a Canadian and an Irishman happening upon each other wasn’t out of the question, but that status only came to be relatively recently and judging by Owen’s age - which she guessed was no more than thirty - this must’ve happened a while ago.

“I see. And when did that happen?” She asked him.

“World War II.” 

Chun-Li’s eyes almost immediately went wide with shock upon hearing him say this. “Oh…” She said.

“I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you what that entailed?” Chun-Li confirmed his guess with a silent nod.

She knew the story of how the Second World War had affected her home city all too well. British and other Commonwealth forces had been stationed in Hong Kong to defend it against potential invasion, but when the Japanese invaded, the city soon fell and the defending army was forced to surrender. Over 10,000 soldiers were taken as prisoners of war and were placed in internment camps, where thousands perished from disease, malnutrition and execution by Japanese soldiers.

"Then that was the cause of your grandfather's...condition?" She concluded.

"Indeed, but that wasn't all. See, Ireland was neutral during the war, which my granddad obviously wasn’t on board with. So, he went ahead and joined the British Armed Forces - him and a bunch of other soldiers from the Irish military. Then the war ends, he gets back and the government was not happy. The army dismissed him, his pay was taken away and he was barred from working anywhere paid for by the state. And well...at that time it wasn't particularly easy to find work where he lived to begin with.” 

“God, that sounds horrible.” Was all she was able to say in response. 

“It was. He told me that the only thing that kept him going in those times was my grandmother, who as you probably guessed he met while he was a prisoner. Of course, a relationship like that wasn't exactly...popular in those times either." Chun-Li didn't say anything in reply and instead simply nodded her understanding.

"So, how did he end up in Canada?" Chun-Li then asked.

"Well, he immigrated, of course. After that, he got help from a friend he made in the camp - my other grandfather. And well, the rest is history.” Owen said to conclude. 

“Wow. That’s...quite a lot to take in.” Chun-Li said after a brief bout of silence.

Owen sighed before replying. “Well, it’s what happened. And for better or worse, were it not for Hong Kong, I probably wouldn’t be here now.”

Despite the rather bleak circumstances behind it, Chun-Li found the story he had told to be rather heartwarming. Despite the horrific things Owen's grandfather went through, he nevertheless managed to persevere and from the looks of things, forge a new life for himself. And more than that, he was able to find friendship and even love; though Owen hadn't said it outright, the circumstances of their meeting must've fostered a very deep bond between his grandparents, which no doubt endured to this very day.

It was then that she remembered something Owen had told her a while ago regarding the fiddle he had; how he said his granddad had taught him to play and that he _was_ very good with it.

“Tell me, is your grandfather still…” Chun-Li hesitated to finish the question, but Owen seemed to understand what she wanted to know.

"Unfortunately not." He responded, his expression and words clearly expressing his grief.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Chun-Li said after a brief pause, with Owen letting out a deep sigh in response.

“It's been a long time since it happened.” He said in a much lower tone.

“Doesn’t quite feel that way though, does it?” Owen looked over to her after she said this, clearly not having expected her to say this.

“Sounds like you speak from experience.” He carefully noted.

“I am. I lost someone too - my father. Not a day goes by where I don’t miss him.” She revealed, choosing to speak with total honesty.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Owen said to her; she could tell he meant it sincerely. “It okay if I ask what happened?” He said after a few moments.

“Well, the first thing to know is that he was a cop. Long story short, he went missing in the middle of a major investigation; I found out later that he had been killed by the targets of that investigation.” She briefly recounted.

“Goodness. Did they at least get what was coming to them?” He then inquired.

“Yeah, they did and it couldn’t have happened soon enough. Good riddance to bad trash.” She had started gripping her steering wheel a little tighter, but once she noticed that Owen was giving her a concerned look, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Sorry.” She said in a lighter tone of voice.

“Don’t be. Seems to me that you have plenty of reasons to be angry with them.” He responded.

“Angry is a bit of an understatement.” Chun-Li said.

“So, that's why you do what you do, then - because of what happened to your father?" Owen then asked her.

“Truth be told, I was going down the path to police work regardless, but yes. I wanted my father's killers to pay and I wasn't going to sit around and wait for somebody else to do it." Chun-Li explained to Owen, who sat listening attentively.

"And these people you were after. They wouldn't happen to go by 'Shadaloo', would they?" Chun-Li was shocked to hear Owen utter that name. How could he possibly know about them.

"Li-Fen told you about them, didn't she?" Chun-Li saw Owen nod out of the corner of her eye.

"Only a tiny bit. And just from that, I can safely say that the world would be better off without them." It didn't need to be said that Chun-Li agreed with him.

"Then I'm sure you're glad to know that they are gone. Hopefully, for good this time." She then told him.

"I guessed as much. And how does that make you feel?" Chun-Li thought about it for a little bit, letting out a deep sigh as she started to answer his question.

"You know, it's weird. I spent so many years chasing after them and now that they’re finally gone, I feel… well, I’m not really sure, but it’s not what I expected. Sure, I avenged my father like I wanted to, but... it was never going to bring him back.” Chun-Li felt like she was rambling while saying all this, but it still somewhat conveyed what she was feeling. And from the looks of things, Owen understood enough of what she said.

“Guess you don’t know how much someone means to you until they’re not there anymore, huh?” Owen said to her after a brief pause, himself also turning to look straight ahead.

“Yeah.” She said in meek agreement. 

Silence settled over them as both she and him seemed to be lost in their thoughts. It wasn’t until recently until Chun-Li realized just how much her father had shaped her life; everything from her job to her past-times had in some way been influenced by him. The day Bison mockingly told her that he was dead had been the only day in her life where she had ever shed tears; she had been angry, confused and overwhelmed with grief. From the looks of things, Owen’s grandfather had a similar influence on him, so losing him must’ve been just as painful for him as losing her father had been for her.

"May I ask you just one more question? Why was he so important to you?" Chun-Li knew that asking something like this could be seen as somewhat brash on her part, so she did so as respectfully as she possibly could.

"You mean my granddad?" "Yes." She said in response to Owen's question, leaving it up to him to decide if he wanted to answer or not.

"Well, I can go on forever, but if I had to narrow it down, I guess it's because he was...there, you know?" Was what Owen eventually replied with.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. He was just there, there to play with me, to encourage me, to help guide me when I didn't know what to do: no matter what it was, my granddad was always there for me and honestly, I don't know what I'd be without him." As he spoke, Chun-Li couldn't help but notice a sort of connotation to what he was telling her.

"Do you think you'd have the same job?" She asked him, feeling as if she already knew what his answer would be.

"I doubt it." Chun-Li smiled upon hearing his reply. 

"I see." Then that was where his inspiration for what he did now had come from after all - the influence his grandfather had had on him. Chun-Li supposed that her and Owen were kindred spirits in that regard. Like her, he had lost someone who had nurtured and cared for him, which ended up shaping the rest of his life going forward. The circumstances were vastly different, sure, but the pain of that loss had nevertheless inspired him to dedicate his life to helping others and that was something she couldn't help but admire.

“Was that satisfactory?" Owen eventually asked her.

"I'd say so." She replied. Really, Chun-Li felt like she understood him far better than she had before.

“So, what now?” Owen then asked.

Chun-Li shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know. Do you have anything you wanted to ask?” She asked.

“I don’t suppose you have any Tai Chi tips you’d be willing to share?” Chun-Li couldn’t stop herself from giving her passenger a surprised sideways glance, wondering why he would ask something like that. 

“You’re joking.” She said with a small smile.

“If I was, I wouldn’t be asking.” He replied.

“I guess that’s true.” Chun-Li took another moment to think about it before she said anything else. “So what would you like to know?”

……

Before either of them knew it, they were driving across the Tsing Ma Bridge, the vast body of water separating Hong Kong’s various islands in full view. Somehow, Chun-Li giving him advice on how to properly do Tai Chi spilled over into how she herself had learned to do it, which gave him even more information about her late father.

“Hold on, you mean to tell me you trained with an assassin?" Owen said in disbelief someway into one of Chun-Li's stories.

"Only for a little while, and besides I didn't even know he was an assassin then." Said Chun-Li.

"Well, your father surely must've known and yet they were chums all the same? How in the world does something like that happen?" Owen asked her.

"I don't know for sure, but if I were to guess, I'd say it was because my father's 'chum' knew his way around the underworld." He could see some validity in Chun-Li's theory.

"Makes sense." He said.

"Though honestly, knowing the two of them, they probably only became friends after they beat the living daylights out of each-other." Owen couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"Unreal." He uttered and with that, Owen turned to look out the window, finding a wonderful view of the vast body of water separating Hong Kong’s various islands, as well as the skyscrapers and mountains of the city jutting out in the distance.

“You know, this is quite the city you’ve got here.” Owen eventually said.

“It’s something special, alright.” She said in agreement.

“How long have you been living here?” He asked her.

“Since the day I was born. But I have to say, it’s changed a bunch since then, which I guess was to be expected, what with the new lease holders and all.” Chun-Li answered.

“And what do you think of them?” He followed up by saying, curious as to what she had to say.

“I’d tell you, but I don’t want to get in trouble.” Despite framing it as a joke, it provided a good enough answer on its own. 

“Ah, I get you.” He said, again looking straight ahead, where an organized blockade awaited them just up ahead.

“Oh joy. Another toll booth.” Chun-Li sarcastically said.

“Well, good thing you have the money, eh?” He lightly teased her.

“Oh, shut up.” She said with a tone that was more humorous than derisive, causing Owen to lightly laugh to himself. 

“I’ll leave you to it, then.” He said to her.

While Chun-Li dealt with paying the toll, Owen decided to double check whether he had everything he needed in his personal bag. Other than his passport, the most important items for him to have were his control and rescue inhalers, as well as his reading glasses and a refillable water bottle; thankfully, all of them were accounted for. 

As he continued his inspection, he also decided to check on a certain other piece of luggage, eventually finding it tucked away in a pocket in his bag. He wasn’t quite sure why he had decided to bring it with him, but at the same time, it somehow felt wrong for him to leave it behind. 

“I've been meaning to ask. What else was in that letter of hers?” Chun-Li said after they had pulled away from the toll booth, snapping him back to reality.

“Quite a bit, actually. But there was one thing that stuck out to me.” He replied, zipping up his bag as he did.

"And what's that?" Owen didn't immediately respond to her question, taking a moment to consider whether he should mention it at all.

“Well, Li-Fen mentioned something about you - that you rescued her.” This almost immediately caught her attention.

“Did she? Hmm…” She paused for a moment. “Well, I guess that cat had to be let out sooner or later.” Chun-Li finished by saying.

“You know, I figured that something bad must’ve happened to her to leave her like that, but...I never could’ve thought something like that could happen to someone.” He said in a solemn tone.

Chun-Li let out a deep sigh. “Well, neither I or anyone else can change what happened. All I can do is try - and hope - to make the rest of her life better.” She said.

“And with any luck, you’ll succeed. I know that my granddad - even with everything that happened to him - appreciated every day that he lived, more than anyone else I knew. ‘ _Bad days may come, little Owen, but with time - and a little perseverance - they’ll be little more than a wilted flower in a beautiful, blooming field._ ’, he once said to me and I never quite forgot it. If he can learn to see things from that perspective, then I think anyone can.” 

While Chun-Li didn’t look at him, he could see that she had fully understood what he had said, giving him a contemplating smile.

“You know, I think I can get behind that mindset.” She said.

“And my hope is Li-Fen can too. But from the looks of things, she’s well on her way to doing just that, thanks in no small part to you.” Owen said in reply.

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. This is a two-front effort, remember?” Chun-Li said to him.

“One that came to be because _you_ gave Li-Fen a second chance at life. And I can safely say that she’s lucky to have a parent like you.” He said with the utmost sincerity. Chun-Li didn’t respond right away, but eventually, she looked over to him with a genuine smile on her face.

“And she's all the more lucky to have a teacher like you. You're a good man, Owen.” She said without a hint of insincerity, which rather unexpectedly made his heart almost skip a beat. He quickly managed to get a hold of himself.

“I’m glad you think so.” He replied, giving a smile of his own.

Chun-Li held his gaze for as long as she reasonably could before she had to turn her attention back to the road. Owen had meant every word he had said to her. In a way, they were almost like kindred spirits; both of their lives were dedicated to serving the public in some way or another and - as he had recently learned - they both lost someone important to them. Even more though, he respected her drive and her motivation. He had no doubt when he said that Li-Fen was in good hands.

“Looks like we’re almost there.” Chun-Li eventually noted. Sure enough, Hong Kong International Airport was now in plain sight.

“So we are.” He replied.

After a few more minutes of driving, their vehicle finally came to a stop in one of the airport's many car parks.

“Well…here we are.” Chun-Li said as she powered down her car.

“And in no time at all. Thanks a million, Chun-Li. I really appreciate it.” He replied.

“Let’s see you off first, then you can say thanks as many times as you want.” She said before looking over to him, the two of them silently agreeing to exit the vehicle. Owen took a quick moment to stretch himself out before opening the back door in order to retrieve his luggage. After he had taken out both his bag and his fiddle case, Chun-Li closed the door for him before turning to look at him.

“So, I guess this is goodbye for however long.” She said with a small smile.

“I suppose it is.” For the next little while, all he could do was look at her. In those brief moments, he came to realize just how… penetrating her eyes were, but not in an unnerving sort of way; instead, it only seemed to strengthen her already stunning beauty.

“Well then, uh…” He dropped his gaze for only a moment as he took his hand off the handle of his bag and held it out for her. “You take care, now. Thanks again for the lift.”

Chun-Li looked down at his outstretched hand and then back up at him, but instead of accepting it, she took a step forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and put her head against his shoulder. Caught off guard by her action, Owen kept his offered hand outstretched for a split second as he processed what had just happened before he placed it against her back to somewhat return the hug, smiling a bit as he did. Even with its gentle nature, there was a noticeable strength in her embrace, which he supposed was to be expected; even still, he found it came with a strange feeling of security.

After the hug had lasted a few seconds, Chun-Li pulled away, but kept her hands on his shoulders for a short while.

“Pleasure was all mine. Have a safe trip.” She said, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder with the last part of the statement.

“Thank you. You too.” He replied.

After she finally let him go, Owen took the handle of his wheeled luggage bag and turned to walk towards the terminal. When he reached the entrance, he looked back to find that she was only just getting back into her car, stopping to give him one more quick smile, which he returned. 

Throughout his time at the airport - from his security check all the way to boarding - Owen’s thoughts kept going back to the trip he had taken to get here and how he already seemed to miss Chun-Li’s company. Why had he ended up accepting her offer, he thought? He was almost certain that he wouldn’t have done so if it had been made by anyone else, but perhaps that was the answer right there.

It had been an opportunity to spend some time with her, without the usual academic barrier in between. He hadn’t been “Mr. Diedrich” in the past half hour or so, he had just been Owen and it had been rather liberating to experience. His job came with a ton of expectations - being expected to present and conduct himself in a certain way was chief among them; it was an essential rule, to be sure, but that didn’t make it any less draining.

After his plane had taken off, Owen looked out his window to view the expansive landscape of Hong Kong below, a city that - for better or worse - had changed the course of his family’s history forever. In being the first Diedrich to step foot on it’s soil in a generation, Owen had ultimately hoped to mend the sour relationship they had with this land and with any luck, come to understand himself a little better. But who knows? Perhaps another major shift was in his future.

With his late grandfather’s fiddle resting in the compartment just above him, Owen settled in for the long flight to come. He was ready to see his home again, but at the same time, he couldn’t wait to return.

.........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Unfortunately, the university workload is starting to pile up and for the next two weeks or so, I'm going to have to follow a "no fun allowed" policy in order to get everything finished, which unfortunately means that - unless my schedule clears up - it's going to be a little while until I can start writing the next chapter; I'm releasing this one today in part because I don't want to be tempted to go back and to tide you all over until I can start again. Thankfully though, I know exactly what's going to happen going forward, so hopefully that will make it a little easier to get the next few chapters out.
> 
> Also, I decided to give a sort of glossary for the slang Owen (And his mom) used in this chapter, simply because I had a lot of fun sprinkling it in.
> 
> .....
> 
> How's the form: Equivalent of "how are you?"
> 
> Acting the maggot: Essentially means someone is acting comically or irresponsibly; anyone who's ever owned budgies (like me) will understand why she would say something like that. 
> 
> Doing my (or one's) head in: Means someone is confused or bewildered.
> 
> Go way outta that: Used to signify surprise or disbelief at something.
> 
> Thanks a million: Pretty much means what you think it means.
> 
> That's about it. See you next time, whenever that'll be.


	5. Chapter 5

It was that time again - parent-teacher conference day. Chun-Li had already spent the better part of an hour bouncing from classroom to classroom and to say she was feeling worn out would be an understatement. Frankly, she didn’t really have much reason for being here; she already kept close enough logs with most of Li-Fen’s teachers regarding her progress and most information shared today would’ve been something they both already knew. Despite all that, Chun-Li still felt obligated to attend these sessions, mostly to maintain a sense of assurance in her education going forward.

Well, that was one of the reasons, anyway…

As Chun-Li walked to Owen’s classroom, she thought back to the first day she had done so. She remembered being somewhat nervous about the meeting, mostly because she wasn’t quite sure what to expect - it was completely new territory for her, after all. Even so, it had been her belief that she would get used to it over time; fast forward several months and she was still just as nervous to see him as she had been then, perhaps even more so.

“ _Alright, Chun-Li. Get it together. Just act professionally and everything will be fine.”_ She mentally instructed herself as she got closer to her destination.

She found his door ajar, without the only noise coming from inside being a quiet humming. After a few second’s hesitation, she looked inside and found Owen sitting behind his desk with headphones in and a cup of tea, humming along to whatever it was he was listening too while looking over some documents. When it became clear he was oblivious to her presence, she knocked to get his attention.

“Hmm?” She heard him utter just before he turned to look in her direction. Almost as soon as he made eye contact with her, Owen’s expression quickly softened, silently greeting her with a warm smile.

“You’re early.” He noted as he took out his earphones.

“My last meeting with Mrs. Liu wrapped up sooner than expected.” She said to explain.

“Hm, so I see.” He put away his headset and turned back to her. “Come in and have a seat. Let’s get this underway.” Owen said in invitation.

She walked forward just a few steps before stopping, an idea springing to mind.

“Should I…? She pointed at the door.

“If you wish.” Owen replied with a slight wave of his hand.

With an understanding nod, Chun-Li closed the door to his classroom before finally making her way over to him.

“So, how was your trip?” She asked to break the ice a little.

“Ah, it was grand, thank you for asking. And yet another thank you for helping me get there.” He replied.

“Don’t mention it. Oh, and I forgot to ask last time, should I pay you back for the toll fare?” She said as she took a seat beside him.

“Certainly. Pass it under the table, won’t ya?” It took her but a moment to realize he was joking, after which she chuckled at even suggesting it.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll hold onto it.” She said.

“Good call. So, what’s the story with you – catch any bad guys lately?” Owen then asked.

“Can’t say I have. It’s just been the same old same old; nothing to really complain about.” She replied after she had settled down.

“And Li-Fen – is she well?” Owen then asked.

“She’s doing alright, and seems to be pretty excited to be going back to school again, believe it or not.” Owen smiled in response.

“That’s good.” What followed was a brief silence where the two of them simply stared at each other.

He was wearing his glasses at the moment, which she came to find suited him well: both because of his occupation and because of how they brought out his eyes…those green eyes of his…

“On that note, shall we get started?” Owen suggested, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Yes, yes of course.” She replied, turning her focus back on the matter at hand.

The next couple of minutes were very reminiscent of the first session the two of them had together: going over Li-Fen’s grades, her participation in class, the things the class would cover going forward and how to ensure her health and safety while taking everything they had just discussed into account. The major difference now was that while their initial session was marred with uncertainty, their current discussion was far more positive on almost all fronts. There remained a few things they still needed to iron out, but generally, Li-Fen seemed to have found her stride.

“One last thing. That math help session Li-Fen was going to - you’re still a part of it, right?” Chun-Li asked after they had gotten the important stuff out of the way.

“I very much am, but even if I wasn’t, I’d encourage her to keep going. She’s been getting better at the subject, but it still makes for good practice nonetheless.” He advised.

“Duly noted.” Neither of them said anything for a bit. “So…anything else?” She eventually asked, knowing that they would soon need to part ways.

“I don’t believe so. We’ve covered everything that needs covering. All that’s really left to say is that we both need to ensure Li-Fen keeps on the path she’s on right now; we do that and I think she’ll end the year off strong.” Chun-Li noticed a slight hint of pride in his words.

“That’s good to hear.” Upon saying this, her thoughts drifted away for a moment, leaving her sitting with a somewhat whimsical expression on her face. 

“You alright there?” He asked her after she had sat with a quiet smile on her face for a little while.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just…thinking back to the first time we did this.” She explained to him. 

“Hmm. Feels like it’s been donkey’s years since then.” Chun-Li pretending to understand what he meant with a nod.

“Still, looks like the plan’s coming together now, doesn’t it?” She asked him, to which he responded with a small chuckle.

“Doesn’t really seem like much of a plan in hindsight, huh?” He noted, eliciting a chuckle from her as well.

“Maybe not. But even so, you and me...” Chun-Li turned her head to look him in the eyes. “I think we make for a great team.”

“Indeed.” Owen said.

Logically, now would’ve been the time for her to finish the meeting and leave him to his business, but at the moment, Chun-Li didn’t much feel like leaving. In the weeks following their little trip to the airport, she found that she sorely missed Owen’s company and as a result, she had been rather…excited to see him again today. Yet now that the two of them were together again – and fairly close to each other, at that - the strange sense of longing she was feeling didn’t go away; no instead, it only seemed to get stronger.

Seemingly forgetting her surroundings, Chun-Li silently started closing the distance between them and after Owen didn’t seem to object, softly kissed him on the lips. This lasted for only a few seconds before she broke it - during which he seemed rather hesitant to reciprocate. After meeting his eyes for a few seconds, she kissed him again and this time, he was much more eager to respond.

Not long after, he pulled her onto his lap and the two of them started passionately making out, completely disregarding where they were or even what they were doing there. Her hands ran through his dirty blonde hair while his roamed all over her body and through it all her desire for him growing stronger by the moment.

Before she even knew it, both of them had been stripped completely naked and she was seated on his desk, her legs wrapped around his waist as he thrust into her. Chun-Li knew what they were doing was wrong; that they could get caught at any moment, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was the overwhelming pleasure she was experiencing and the man that she was sharing this moment with.

“Owen. I’m…I’m…” 

~~~

Chun-Li suddenly woke up, quickly noticing that her room was still dark. As she rustled in her bed, irritated by her sleep being interrupted, she noticed a rather noticeable sense of euphoria, almost as if she had…

“Oh, goddammit…” She quietly uttered to herself, placing a hand to her forehead as she realized what had happened.

She had been treated to a _mostly_ accurate recreation of the meeting she had with Owen almost four months ago. In reality, the two of them concluded their little interview and parted ways respectively, but obviously her imagination had a different idea of how things should’ve gone.

Slumping back into her bed, Chun-Li spent a few moments staring up at the ceiling, before looking over to her nightside clock, which told her it was 3:49 in the morning. Thankfully that meant she had enough time to fall back asleep and not walk into the prescient the next day looking like a complete wreck…assuming she could fall back asleep anyway.

After it became rather clear she wasn’t getting anywhere, she crawled out of bed and quietly moved to open her bedroom door, finding her living room similarly dark. Being careful not to make too much noise, Chun-Li walked over to her kitchen to search for a light snack, eventually settling on a small bowl of purple grapes.

Sitting down on her sofa, she began to slowly eat the small fruits one after the other. As she did, Chun-Li’s mind started wandering, eventually coming right back to the dream she had just had. It wasn’t really much of a mystery to her what was going on. Since she had first met him, she thought Owen was a very attractive man: he was well-groomed, in good shape and his accent – she didn’t know quite what it was about it, but he could probably read her pages from a phone book and she would love every second of it.

But that wasn’t the whole of it, was it? She had gotten to know Owen quite well over the past eight or so months, and what she discovered was a man with the warmest heart she had ever known. The fact he had dedicated his life to enriching and building up the lives of others was the thing she respected most about him, even more so now that she knew his reasoning for doing so. He really was a fascinating man.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a slight creak. Looking over to her right, she found Li-Fen opening the door of her own bedroom, holding her stuffed panda Zhen to her chest with her free arm. Once she saw her, she stood silently in place, clearly surprised to see her there. For the next few seconds, neither of them said anything.

“Hey, Li-Fen.” She eventually greeted, softly smiling at her.

“Did I wake you?” Li-Fen silently shook her head. “Bad dream again?” This time she nodded.

With a small nod of her own, Chun-Li lightly patted the space next to her on the sofa. “Come here. Tell me what happened.” She offered.

Li-Fen walked over and took a seat beside her, still holding onto Zhen. For a moment, Chun-Li wished she was wearing a little more than just a small yellow shirt over her underwear.

“Hungry?” She offered her half-empty bowl of grapes to Li-Fen, who took one out of the bowl and popped it in her mouth.

“So... what’d you see?” Chun-Li asked.

“I was…back in the base.” Li-Fen answered.

“Okay…” She said as an invitation for her to continue.

“I was being chased by Shadaloo’s men and… _him._ It lasted up until they caught me.” She finished her explanation, tightening her grip on Zhen as she did.

“I see. And how long have you been awake?” Chun-Li said after a brief silence.

“I’m not sure. I tried going back to sleep, but…” Li-Fen started to say.

“It didn’t work out?” She finished for her.

“Mm-hmm.” Li-Fen admitted with a slightly embarrassed nod.

“Was it because you were scared of having another dream like it?” She inquired, to which the girl responded with a small sigh.

“It’s not even that I’m scared of having them anymore. It’s been more than a year since it all happened and yet, the nightmares, the flashbacks; they’re still happening. I…I just want them to go away, but it’s starting to feel like they never will.” Despite saying all this with a somber tone, Li-Fen’s frustration was noticeable.

“Well, I’m sorry to say, Li-Fen but…nothing you or I can do can change what happened to you. And you’ll probably never fully forget about it either.” Chun-Li wanted more than anything to tell her that her condition would eventually disappear completely, but she knew better than that.

“I know, but…I hate this. I hate these dreams; I hate having to take all these extra steps just so I can be somewhat normal; I just hate all of this.” Li-Fen explained to her in a much calmer tone than was expected. After putting a comforting arm around her, Chun-Li decided to speak again.

“I know, Li-Fen - I hate that you need to go through all this too. But I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that you’re strong enough to make it through.”

“You really think so?” Li-Fen softly asked.

“Yeah, I do. It’s like I said before – being strong on the outside is only one part: there’s also your mind and your spirit. And you, Li-Fen…you’re strong in all three.”

Li-Fen looked up at her and gave her a warm smile, one which she returned. Words couldn’t express just how proud she was of her; of the progress she had made. Even after all her years as an Interpol agent, all the things she’d done, the little girl sitting beside her was the one thing that she treasured the most.

“So, uh…why are you awake, Chun-Li?” Li-Fen eventually asked her.

“Oh, me? I just had a weird dream is all.” Chun-Li admitted after a few seconds of trying to find a way to phrase things.

“Who were you fighting?” Chun-Li looked at her in confusion.

“Pardon?” She said.

“In your dream – who were you fighting? Was it those people with the weird powers and costumes?” Li-Fen sounded rather excited in asking this question.

“Oh, no, no, no. I haven’t had one like that in a while.” A somewhat awkward silence settled over the room.

“Did it at least have the little blue one…?” Li-Fen started to ask.

“I wasn’t fighting anyone, Li-Fen.” She said to close the subject.

“Oh, okay. So, what were you dreaming about then?” Upon her asking, Chun-Li wasn’t sure as to how to respond.

“I’d… rather not say.” Was all she said in response. After that, she piped down completely, but her silence gave Li-Fen to come to a conclusion of her own.

“It was Mr. Diedrich, wasn’t it?” She said with a somewhat mischievous smile on her face, to which Chun-Li could only sigh in irritation. “I knew it.” Li-Fen said.

“Li-Fen, I’ve told you before – he’s just a friend, if that.” She reminded her, but clearly this didn’t do much to convince her.

“Yeah, right. If he’s your friend, why’re you dreaming about him?” Li-Fen asked.

“Your friends can show up in your dreams.” She calmly responded, making sure to appear in control.

“And do what?” This question admittedly stumped her. Looking over to her daughter, she quickly thought about whether she was at the right age to even begin to talk about the sort of things she had seen.

“Oh, you know…friendly stuff.” She eventually said, hoping to pivot away from that line of conversation; she was far too exhausted to have that talk right now.

“Really?” Li-Fen was clearly unconvinced by her answer.

“Yes. Now no more questions – don’t forget, we need to get you up for school and we’re wasting time we could’ve spent sleeping.” Chun-Li said in an attempt to end the conversation.

“Wow. Is it really that hard to say you like him?” Li-Fen said in response to her demand.

“I don’t li…” She stopped when she saw the way the girl was smiling at her, which didn’t seem so much teasing as it did gentle. Understanding that there was little point in hiding the truth, Chun-Li let out a sigh.

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.” Chun-Li softly said, resting her cheek on her hand as she did.

“So, why haven’t you told him yet?” Li-Fen asked.

“It’s really not that simple, Li-Fen. Me doing something like that right now can only end badly. At best, it’s going to make things between the three of us awkward for the rest of the year and at worst, he could lose his job. Besides, I...kind of doubt he's looking for something like that right now.” She explained to her.

“Well, if it's what you're worried about, he’s single.” Her saying this took her completely by surprise.

“How do you know that?” She asked.

“I asked him…” Li-Fen answered, appearing somewhat embarrassed as she did. 

For the next little while, all Chun-Li could do was look at Li-Fen in confused silence, during which Li-Fen smiled innocently at her. With a sigh, she decided to inquire further.

“Okay, explain – what’re you trying to do with all this?” She lightly asked.

“I thought you were a detective?” Li-Fen replied.

“Oh, don’t you sass me.” Chun-Li said with a playful nudge, which made the girl giggle.

“Fine, fine. I just think you and him would make a good…you know…” She briefly explained herself, which answered only one part of her question.

“Fair enough. But I still don’t see why you’re so interested in this.” Chun-Li said.

“Because, I…” Li-Fen briefly paused before finishing her answer. “I just thought that it might make you happy; not just you, but him too.”

“Oh…” For a while, this was the only thing she could think to say to her.

“Well, Li-Fen, that’s…really sweet of you to consider, but I don’t think this is something you should be concerning yourself with.” Chun-Li eventually said.

“Maybe not…” Li-Fen said with a small shrug. “…but you both have done so much for me; made me see everything much better than I would’ve otherwise. I guess I just wanted to return the favor somehow, you know?” Even though Li-Fen seemed sincere in her explanation, one aching concern remained in Chun-Li’s mind.

“That's all well and good, Li-Fen, but are you sure you’d be okay with something like that happening? I mean…he’s still your teacher, after all.” She didn’t answer right away, her eyes briefly traveling to the floor.

“Mr. Diedrich, he’s… he’s more than _just_ a teacher to me.” She eventually responded, and Chun-Li understood what she meant almost immediately.

Chun-Li couldn’t help but smile after Li-Fen had finished her explanation. “What am I going to do with you?” She said as she lightly ruffled the girl’s hair. 

“So…are you going to ask him?” Li-Fen eventually said.

“I’ll tell you what. If you and Zhen go back to bed right now, then I’ll ask him.” She said with a smile.

“You promise?” Li-Fen asked.

“Promise. Now, go on.” With a nod, Li-Fen hopped off the sofa and carried Zhen back over to the door of her room.

“Good night, Chun-Li.” She said before she entered.

“Good night, Li-Fen. Sweet dreams.” After this, she closed the door and once again left her alone in the living room.

With her bowl of grapes now empty, all that Chun-Li was left to occupy herself with were her own thoughts. It didn't take long for her to realize that she had no idea how she would go about doing what she promised. She'd never asked anyone on a date before - well, more accurately, she had never been on a date, period. She remembered being asked a couple times, but relationships weren't something that had been particularly high on her list of priorities at the time, so she politely declined. What was she supposed to do: should she e-mail him – call him, maybe? After a few moments of pondering over specifics, she decided to simply turn off the lamp and go back to bed.

It would be something she’d figure out another day.

~~~

“Okay, Li-Fen, here’s another example. You see this here – what should I use if I want to find that side?” Owen asked as he pointed at a triangle with two given angles and one side.

“The sine law?” His student said.

“And what about here?” He pointed to a similar triangle with two sides and an angle.

“The cosine law?” Li-Fen answered.

“See, you’re getting the hang of it. Now, how about this one?” He pointed to a third triangle with only given sides.

“Uh….” Owen looked over to her study partner after a few seconds of waiting.

“What do you think, Lian?” He asked once it was clear Li-Fen didn’t know the answer.

“It’s cosine again for this one; you just have to find one of the angles by revising the formula somewhat. See, like this.” She showed the revised formula to Li-Fen.

“Oh. And then after, you just use sine or cosine to find the rest of the angles, right?” Li-Fen guessed after looking over what Lian showed her.

“Bang on, Li-Fen. Now, I trust that the two of you know what to do for the rest of the problems now?” He said.

“Sure do. It’s pretty straightforward, really.” Lian replied.

“Well, that’s easy for you to say, isn’t it, Lian?” Li-Fen teasingly said, looking over to her partner as she did.

“Ah, come on, that’s not fair. I had to learn all this too, you know.” The other girl lightheartedly replied.

“Now, now, girls - remember this isn’t a competition. Just try to do as much as you can with the...” Owen looked down at his watch to gauge the remaining time, only to realize that there wasn’t much remaining.

“Oh, would you look at that – just under five minutes left. Do excuse me for a moment.” He told the two of them before going to the front of the classroom.

“ _Just a reminder that we’ll be wrapping up in around five minutes. If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to ask either myself or Mrs. Liu – we’ll be sure to help you.”_ He announced to the small gathering of students in Cantonese.

The rest of the session came and went, with a handful of last-minute questions being answered before everyone started clearing out. Assuming that it was nearly 5:00, Owen couldn’t blame their eagerness to finally get home, or at least he hoped that’s where they were going. Despite what he had said earlier, education in Hong Kong was much like a competition and any perceived advantage would be pursued to get a student ahead.

The academic pressure felt here was very real and it was his hope that this little after-school program he and Mrs. Liu were running would help alleviate it somewhat – free of charge, of course.

“ _Have a good evening everyone. And good luck on all your finals.”_ Mrs. Liu said to their students as they started leaving the classroom they had set up shop in, until only two remained.

“Are you two ready to go now?” He heard Mrs. Liu ask Li-Fen and Lian, who were still sitting together in the front row.

“Just give me a second.” Lian replied as she packed up, while Li-Fen didn’t seem to be doing the same. “Aren’t you coming?” She asked her friend.

“Actually, my mom’s going to be running a little late.” Li-Fen replied.

“How late? We can wait with you if you want.” Lian offered, but her friend only shook her head.

“It’s fine, Lian. She shouldn’t be too long.” She insisted.

As this was going on, Owen’s colleague turned to him. “How about you? Ready to clock out?” Mrs. Liu asked him.

“I think I can spare another minute or two. Go – I’ll be sure to lock the place down.” He told her. 

“Your call.” She turned back to the two girls. “Come on, Lian - let’s go home. Your dad’s no doubt waiting for us.” Mrs. Liu said while holding out her hand.

“Okay.” She replied, picking up her backpack as she did. “See you at practice, then, Li-Fen?” She then said.

“4 o’clock tomorrow. Don’t be late.” The other girl said with a brash smile on her face.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Lian said.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough now.” Mrs. Liu interjected with a small chuckle. “I’ll be sure to bring her over tomorrow, Li-Fen; don’t you worry about that.”

With that assurance, the two of them left the classroom together, but not before Lian and Li-Fen waved to each-other one more time. Afterwards, Li-Fen remained seated behind her desk, a wide, somewhat excited smile on her face.

“What was that all about?” Owen asked after they had gone.

“Oh, nothing, sir. We’re just doing some training tomorrow, is all.” She answered.

“Training? As in martial arts training?” Li-Fen nodded in response. “Huh, I wasn’t aware your mother was taking on new students.” He followed up by saying.

“Oh, it’s just me and Lian still, and that’s only because I invited her. Well, that and because mom thought I could use a sparring partner.” Li-Fen briefly explained.

“A _friendly_ sparring partner?” He said with a friendly smile, which she returned.

“Of course.” She said, with Owen lightly chuckling in response.

"Well, you'll have a lot more time to devote to that soon, won't you?" He pointed out as as he sat on the desk next to her.

"I guess so." Li-Fen replied. "But you know something, Mr. Diedrich? I - I'll miss being in your class." Owen couldn’t keep himself from smiling upon hearing her say this.

"And I'll miss having you in it, Li-Fen. This last year - it's been a pleasure." And he really did mean it.

Here was a girl that came into his class with almost everything stacked against her, from the curriculum to her own mind. But as the months went by, he had watched her slowly take her life back into her own hands, become more and more self-assured. To say he was proud of her would’ve been a massive understatement, because seeing her succeed made him…well, happy. Li-Fen was quite unlike any student he had ever had.

"By the way, sir, what do you want us to do with these?" Li-Fen asked as she took out her assigned journal.

"Keep them, of course. I'm sure there're a few pages left in there yet." He replied. "There are, but I'm not really what I'm going to write about, to be honest." She admitted.

"Well, if nothing else, it'll be a testament to everything you've accomplished this year." Li-Fen smiled as she looked down at the journal.

“Can I ask you something, Mr. Diedrich?” Li-Fen eventually asked him.

“Sure. What is it?” He replied.

“Do you remember what you said to me - about there being people who’d want me to have a happy ending and whatnot?” Her asking him this caught him somewhat off guard, but he decided to go along.

“I do. Why?” Owen soon replied.

“Oh, I’ve just been… thinking about it a bit recently.” Her answer was somewhat obtuse to him.

“Okay. In what regard?” Funnily enough, when he asked her this, she didn’t really seem to be looking at him.

“Well, um…” She started to say before a knock on the door seemingly interrupted her. Upon hearing this, Owen put on his most natural smile and turned towards the door, knowing full well who was there.

Surely enough, Chun-Li had arrived and along with her, a sudden rush of nervousness on his part. She’s had that sort of effect on him since the very first day they met, but he expected it to subside as the year went on, as it had several times before; instead, it had only gotten stronger. Still, he always forced himself to push it down, especially now that Li-Fen was still in the room.

“Mr. Diedrich.” She politely greeted him.

“Ms. Xiang. Always nice to see you.” He responded in kind.

“Likewise.” She was looking him right in the eyes, softly smiling as she did. “I hope I’m not intruding.” Chun-Li proceeded to say.

“Oh no, not at all.” He assured her as calmly as he could.

“Hm.” She maintained silent eye contact with him for a few more seconds before eventually shifting her attention to Li-Fen, taking some pressure off of him.

“Well, Li-Fen. Unless there’s something else, we can go home.” He turned his eyes on his student as well, who appeared to be pondering something.

“Yeah, uh…I just realized, I…need to go to the jacks.” Upon hearing this, Owen stared at her in utter shock. “ _Oh God, why did she say it like that?_ ” Owen thought to himself.

“Excuse me?” He heard Chun-Li ask, clearly as perplexed as he was.

“The restroom. She has to use the restroom.” Owen reluctantly explained the meaning behind what she said.

“Yeah, that.” Li-Fen confirmed, clearly seeing nothing wrong with what she said while Owen was silently berating himself for ever deciding to put that word on the board.

“Oh. Okay, well I guess we can stop on the way down.” Chun-Li said.

“See, about that. I’ll probably need to be in there for a little while, so…” Li-Fen stood up from her seat without even picking up her bag.

“If you’ll just excuse me, I think I’ll run down there right now and uh… not keep you waiting too long. Yeah, that’s it.” Li-Fen continued to say as she went past her guardian, with both her and him watching the girl in utter confusion as she walked backwards towards the door.

“But, what about…” Chun-Li started to say just as she was at the exit.

“Gotta go, bye.” Was the last thing Li-Fen said before she disappeared around the corner, leaving him and Chun-Li alone to share a mutually baffled glance.

Oh shit, she left him alone with Chun-Li.

“So…that happened.” Was what he said when nothing else came to mind.

“Yep.” She replied, clearly just as stumped as he was.

A short time passed where all they did was silently stare at each-other again. It was so strange how no matter how many times Owen looked at her, she still somehow managed to be more beautiful each time. Maybe it was the more casual outfit she was wearing today or maybe it was because of the little extra makeup she was wearing - wait, was she wearing more makeup today or was that just his imagination?

“Alright, well…” He cleared his throat. “If you have any last minute inquiries, I guess now’s as good a time as any to voice them.” Owen said to her.

Instead of responding, Chun-Li simply smiled at him and walked over to where he was, herself pulling up a chair and taking a seat.

“What on Earth have you been teaching her?” The tone she took told him that she was far more amused than upset.

“Ah, that. Well, I just thought it’d be a good bit of fun to let her and the rest of the class know what some of the nonsense they hear from me means – at least, what’s appropriate for their age.” He briefly explained to her.

“So, you’ve been giving a seminar on Irish slang, is what you’re saying.” Chun-Li then said.

“I prefer ‘vernacular’.” “Eh, same difference.” She pointed out.

“True, but it’s still a part of language, is it not? To fully grasp English, you need to be aware that its words are malleable and that not everyone understands them in the same way; that’s what makes it wonderful in its own confusing way.” He explained to her in some detail.

“Hmm, interesting. Never really thought about it that way.” Chun-Li said after a brief pause.

“Eh, that’s just the excuse I like to give. Really, it’s just good craic all around and that’s all the reason I need.” He said.

"And I'm guessing you got the idea from something you used to do with your grandfather?" Despite how obvious this might've been, Owen was still somewhat surprised by her deduction. In truth, he had learnt most, if not all of the phrases he was teaching from his granddad, often to his mother's dismay. 

"And what if I did?" He asked in a casual tone of voice.

Chun-Li lightly laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just felt like it was a given." She told him.

Owen himself chuckled in response. "Well, every teacher needed to have been a student at one point, right?" He pointed out.

"Naturally." Chun-Li agreed, just before her gaze fell for a moment. “ Besides, I always quite liked your…choice in vernacular, as you’d say.” The fact she said this without a hint of sarcasm almost made his heart skip a beat.

“Is that so?” He said.

“Oh, absolutely. But really, you’re just pleasant to talk to.” Chun-Li explained.

“Well, it helps that I’m in such good company, doesn’t it?” He said as a way to return the compliment, looking on as she softly smiled at him.

For the next little bit, he tried to find something he could say to her. It wasn’t really becoming of him to get tongue tied like this, but the way she was looking at him constantly made him second guess himself.

“Speaking of company, I’ve heard you’ve got yourself a new student.” He said, remembering what he and Li-Fen had discussed earlier.

“Lian? Yeah, she’s been attending for a little while…and now it seems all of Li-Fen’s other friends want to start coming too.” She revealed.

“Oh my. Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself a fair bit of publicity, eh?” Owen then said.

“I wonder how that happened.” She gave him a somewhat accusing look, to which he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Okay, let’s be fair here, it was Li-Fen’s idea.” He said in reference to her presentation from way back when.

“I know, I know – I remember. And it’s not that I’m upset people are interested, I just don’t have the means to take them all on, you know?” Chun-Li explained.

“Would you like to?” He asked her.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about it and…yeah, I think I would. But first, I’d need a proper location, and equipment, and of course, a fair bit of start-up money. Still, I’m working on it, slowly but surely.” She replied.

“Really? Wow, good for you.” He said in response.

“It’s probably still a long way out.” She replied with a shrug.

“Probably. But regardless of all that, I’m sure you’ll make for a great teacher.” Owen said to her in earnest.

“Coming from you, that means something.” Chun-Li said in reply.

“Oh, don’t just take my word for it. I’m sure there’s someone else who can vouch for you on that front.” He of course didn’t need to specify who he was referring to and judging from the quiet smile she gave him, she didn’t need to either.

“Guess we're close to the finish line now, huh?" She eventually said.

"Sure look it." He replied. Soon, the school year would be over and Li-Fen would move on from her class, thus marking the end of their little partnership. 

"You know, it's been a real pleasure having your daughter in my class and well...getting the chance to work with you." Upon him saying this, Chun-Li softly smiled at him.

"Right back at ya." She said.

For the next few seconds, the two of them simply smiled at each-other. All the while, Owen tried to find the proper words to say to her; for all he knew, this would be the last time they would see each-other and he couldn't bear that thought. He had gotten so used to their regular interactions that he couldn't imagine what life would be like without her, not just because he enjoyed her company, but because he admired her more than he had any woman before. She was smart, beautiful and above all, committed to doing what right. Besides, the school year was almost over. What harm was there in trying?

"So..." "So..." The two of them said almost in tandem, which seemed to surprise them both.

"Oh, sorry. Go ahead." Owen told her.

"Well, what were you going to say?" Chun-Li asked him and after a few seconds of thought, he decided against it.

"Nothing important." He said. "And you?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what plans you might have once all this wraps up." She replied, which somewhat surprised him.

"I'll be around. Figured if nothing else, I'd take the opportunity to properly explore the place." He explained to her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering if, once the school-year's properly over, we could maybe meet up again. You know, without any strings attached?” This took Owen completely by surprise. There was no way she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting.

“Hold on, hold on – just so we’re clear, do you mean like a date?” He started to say in a casual manner, not wanting to make any assumptions.

“Yeah. Like a date.” She confirmed without a hint of hesitation.

“Oh...” Was all he managed to utter out, staring at her in stunned silence as he tried to think of a way to properly respond.

“Well, okay then, I…” As he flustered, he noticed that Chun-Li was watching him with a most amused smile on her face. “I’m blushing, aren’t I?” He said with a small smile of his own.

“A little, yeah.” She confirmed.

“Hmm.” He took off his glasses. “You’ll have to forgive me. This is all rather...unexpected.” Owen said to her as he wiped them with a small piece of cloth.

“That’s fine. I just figured it was worth a shot.” She told him.

“Oh no, don’t get me wrong, I’d…I’d love to.” He said to clear up any doubt.

“Oh. That’s great, I mean…. I’m really happy to hear that.” Apparently, it was her turn to start stumbling over her words, which was admittedly something he never expected to see from her.

"So, uh...did you have anything specific in mind?" He soon asked her.

"Well, how would you feel about hiking?" She proposed.

"Hiking?" If nothing else, it was a rather unique idea for a first date.

"Sure. I mean, we're not strangers, right? I think it'd be fun for both of us." She explained, leaving it to him to give it some thought. He had been thinking of something a little more traditional, but knowing Chun-Li, something that would require a ton of movement seemed more like her speed.

"What place?" He eventually asked.

"Have you been to Lamma Island before?" Owen shrugged in reply. "Can't say I have." He replied.

"Perfect, because I know a path over there that should be just right. We can hop on a ferry and be there in no time." She told him, appearing rather excited as she did.

"All that sounds great, but...what about Li-Fen?" Owen felt like it was necessary to ask, considering the nature of their existing relationship.

"Oh, well, I'm sure she won't mind staying with Lian or something for a few hours." Said Chun-Li.

"That's not quite what I meant. I mean, do you think she'd be okay with...well, us?” Owen felt like it was necessary to ask, considering the nature of their existing relationship.

“I don’t think she’ll object much.” Chun-Li replied, her eyes glancing over to the door.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to take your word on that. But going back to what you said, you'll still have to figure out what you're going to do with her before we can go anywhere." He said to remind her.

“Oh, we can work out an exact day and time later. You have my number, remember?” Chun-Li pointed out.

“That I do.” He said with a hearty smile.

No sooner had he said this did Li-Fen suddenly appear at the doorway, causing both him and Chun-Li to look over in her direction.

“Well, someone sure took their time.” Chun-Li said.

“Sorry.” Li-Fen replied, albeit with a wide smile on her face.

“Eh, don’t be. Are you ready to go home now?” The girl silently nodded in response.

Seeing this, Owen reached over to grab Li-Fen’s bag and held it out to Chun-Li, who no doubt turned back with the intention of getting it herself. With one more shared smile between them, she took the bag from him and stood up.

“Say, isn’t it about time you got going too?” Chun-Li asked him.

“You don’t have to tell me twice. I just have to pack up, lock the place down and then I can be on me way.” He replied.

“Guess we’ll leave you to it then. Until next time, Mr. Diedrich.” She said with a sly smile.

“Of course, Ms. Xiang. A wonderful weekend to you both.” He said in response, with Chun-Li giving him one more small smirk before turning to walk towards the door.

Owen then glanced over to Li-Fen, who was still observing him with that same subtle smile from before, which he matched with one of his own. After Chun-Li eventually reached her and gave her bag back, the girl gave him one more quick wave before the two of them finally left the classroom.

Despite his newfound solitude, Owen remained in the exact same spot as before, resting his head on an open palm as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. The last thing he expected to happen today was for Chun-Li to just ask him out as suddenly and even more so, as earnestly. Quite frankly, he had never really considered the possibility that she was interested in him that way; sure, they were always friendly with one another, but that was par for the course, really.

Despite all that, he had found himself considering pondering the thought of asking her out as well – many times, in fact. But the one thing that kept stopping him was the extra problems it would create regarding his teaching of Li-Fen; though not explicitly forbidden, dating the parent of a current student was considered a conflict of interest and understandably so, which meant that even if he wanted to, it would’ve been best to wait until the year was through. Still, he supposed it was nice that both of them understood the rules well enough to wait.

As these thoughts circulated, Owen suddenly remembered what Li-Fen had said prior to her guardian’s arrival. Come to think of it, her sudden excursion to the restroom did seem rather abrupt in hindsight and her letter let him know exactly how she viewed him – as a…

Wait a second.

The gears having clicked into place, Owen couldn’t keep himself from laughing.

“Why that little…”

…………….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say other than that it's happening, boys and girls!
> 
> But unfortunately, before it does, I must first go back to my "no fun allowed" policy at least until the start of December. Honestly, it was lucky that this chapter was somewhat easier to write than the others; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been able to finish it before the workload set in again. Regardless of that, I hope you enjoyed what you read. I know I was smiling almost the whole way through while writing, so I guess that counts for something.  
> .................
> 
> Slang Glossary
> 
> \- Donkey's years: A very long time.
> 
> \- Bang on: Correct, right on the money or any other equivalent of the phrase.
> 
> \- Jacks: Well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you, right?


	6. Chapter 6

_June 24 th, 2018_

_It’s a little after 4:30 right now, which is earlier than I would usually do this, but I just wanted to jot something down just before I go._

_I’ve got myself a date with Chun-Li today; honestly, I’m a little surprised that she went through with waiting all that time, but it looks like she was completely serious. We were rather spoiled for choice as to where to go, but she insisted on a trip to Lamma Island; I’ve personally never been, but she said she knew a good hiking route for us to go on._

_So, that’s what the plan looks like. The days leading up to today were rather surreal; I’ve never actually dated the parent of one of my students before, but this whole wait has been…rather exciting. Let’s just hope it was worth it in the end._

Almost as soon as he finished his sporadic journal entry, there was a knock on the door of his studio apartment. Placing his journal down on his table, Owen picked up the backpack of supplies he had packed for the trip and walked over to the door, taking a deep breath to drive away the nervousness he had been dealing with for the past few days before opening the door. As expected, he found Chun-Li standing just outside.

“Hey.” She greeted him.

“Hey.” He likewise said before he quickly looked her over. She was wearing jeans and a sleeveless black vest over a white t-shirt that cut off at a point where she could show off her midriff, with a backpack of her own over her shoulder.

“You look great.” He told her. Then again, he expected nothing less from her.

“As do you.” Said Chun-Li, sharing a smile with him. Really, their choice in clothing had turned out to be fairly similar: long pants and a short-sleeved shirt, as well as a white cap that Owen would wear to protect himself from the sun. For the sake of convenience, he had also traded out his usual glasses for a pair of contact lenses.

“Shall we?” She eventually asked him.

“Absolutely.” With that he stepped out into the hallway. “Everything worked out with you, I hope?” Owen asked her as he set about locking his door.

“Yep. Li-Fen is over at Lian’s place as we speak. Though, just a heads up, I’ll be leaving my phone on, just in case.” She told him.

“Ah, of course.” Owen replied as he put his keys away.

“I mean, I’m sure she’ll be fine, but on the off chance…” She started to say as they started walking away from his door.

“It’s alright. I understand.” He said to reassure her.

“I know. I just felt I should let you know, is all.” Owen lightly nodded in reply. He knew that she was a guardian first and foremost, and he wasn’t about to risk Li-Fen’s health to ensure his momentary gratification.

“Ah, but enough about that. It’s going to take us a while to actually get where we want to go, so we should probably get out of here.” She said as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

“Of course. So, off to the pier, then?” He asked his date as they waited.

“That’s right. Don’t know how long exactly it’ll take to get there, but once we do, it should be smooth sailing from there.” Owen wasn’t sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes in response.

“Pure gas, that was.” He said with an amused sigh.

“Aw, thank you. I was quite proud of that one.” She replied, which somewhat surprised him, seeing as he had been banking on her not knowing what that phrase meant. Before he could question her, a chime signaled the elevator’s arrival.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Come on, let’s go.” Chun-Li cheerily invited him as she entered the elevator. With only a moment’s hesitation, he followed her inside.

“How much did she tell you?” He questioned her after they were both in the elevator.

“Enough. But it sounds better when you say it, so, you won’t hear a peep of it from me.” She assured him, smirking all the while. In response, Owen couldn’t help but laugh.

“Unbelievable…” He uttered just as the elevator door closed.

The next hour or so was spent actually getting to Lamma Island, first on the bus to the pier and then on the ferry to the island itself, during which they chatted about everything under the sun. It had been a good bit of time since the two of them had properly talked face to face, with their past few interactions having been mostly devoted to setting up their date over the phone.

Eventually, their ferry brought them to the pier at Sok Kwu Wan on the east coast of the island. What awaited them was a cluster of small buildings along the bay, with a fair number of small boats floating in the water. In comparison to the high-rise buildings and busy streets of Hong Kong proper, the location was quainter and much calmer in comparison, even if the passages there were much narrower.

Owen eventually found himself washing his hands in a public restroom; the solid hour or so it took them to get here warranted a quick rest stop before they continued on. And seeing as they were about to be moving for quite some time, he figured it was best for him to be ready.

After taking a quick look around to ensure no one else was there, Owen took his relief inhaler out of his bag and started to shake it. After breathing out, he brought it up to his mouth, closing his teeth and lips around the mouthpiece before allowing the medicine to enter his mouth. After breathing it in, he held his breath for a few seconds to let it settle in his lungs before breathing out.

After putting the inhaler back into his bag, he slung it over his shoulder and went back out to meet Chun-Li, who was waiting for him on a red bench by the harbour.

“Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting.” He apologized as they met back up.

“No problem at all. You all set to go?” Chun-Li asked as she rose to meet him.

“I am. Now, tell me again which way we were supposed to be going in?” He said, looking around the area they were in as he did.

“That would be...” She took a moment to scan the area they were in, before pointing in a certain direction. “This way.”

“Alright then. Lead on.” Owen proceeded to follow Chun-Li down the path, taking in his surroundings as he did.

“So, this path of yours. It circles right back around to here, right?” He asked her.

“Yep, and we should be able to make it the whole way through and still catch the ferry back to the city. If we don’t, then I guess you and I will be stuck here until nightfall.” She explained to him. The ferries here ran on a very specific schedule. “Then we’re aiming to be back by 7:20?”

“Somewhere around that time. But that doesn’t mean we have to rush to get through everything. Try to take it easy and just keep that in mind, okay?” She gently nudged him with her shoulder and smiled at him as she said this.

Owen returned her smile. “Will do.” He said with a small nod. He had no intention to blitz through today’s occasions, not after how long he had to wait to get the opportunity to spend time with her.

And besides, by all accounts, they picked a wonderful day to travel: the sky was clear and yet because they had decided to set out later in the day, it wasn’t as humid as it would’ve otherwise been. Chun-Li’s planning had been extremely thorough.

“So, tell me. How did you get into hiking?” He asked her to break the silence.

“Oh, my dad used to take me out on the trails all the time when I was a kid, mostly so we could get out of the city for a while. After that, I just kind of kept doing it: it’s good exercise and well…I like exploring. Helps take my mind off things.” She explained before turning to look at him.

“How about you?” She then asked.

“About the same as you, really. I got dragged out there one day and then took just about every chance I could get to go out again after. And as you probably already guessed” He lightly patted his chest. “The fresh air was much easier on my lungs.” He concluded by saying.

“Yeah, I figured. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’re the outdoorsy type, huh?” She said.

“Heh heh, I guess not. Then again, I have to jump through more hoops than most just to feel ready to hit the trails, but I guess that’s what makes it all the more satisfying when I do.” He said to her.

“I can see what you mean.” By now, the two of them had passed by a small building resembling a church, and Chun-Li started diverting them in the direction of a cluster of trees.

“It’s over this way.” She said as she led him closer to the foliage and soon, Owen could see an opening in the trees, along with the path they would be taking.

“Stairs. How grand.” He sarcastically remarked as they approached.

“I know. But don’t worry, there aren’t that many.” Despite this insurance, Chun-Li nevertheless stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Though if for whatever reason you do need to stop just…let me know, okay?” She said in a much softer tone of voice.

It was a platitude that Owen had gotten used to hearing, but instead of annoying him, her saying it put him at ease. Part of him had been worried about falling short of breath and setting back the pace of their date; it was admittedly a silly concern, but one he couldn’t shake regardless.

He lightly nodded to show his understanding. “Sure thing.” He told her, to which she lightly smiled in response.

“Then let’s get climbing.” Letting go of his shoulder, Chun-Li started going up the stairs at a steady pace, with Owen following along as quickly as he could.

As it turns out, there were a fair number of stairs to clear before they reached the next bit of straight road, but Owen didn’t let that deter him. Focusing on his breathing as much as he could, he put one foot in front of the other, making sure not to push himself more than he had to.

“You know you can still speak, right?” He told Chun-Li some way into the climb.

“Can I? I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea right now.” She told him.

“Don’t worry, I took a puff of my inhaler just a few minutes ago. I should be fine.” He said to her.

“Oh, good. I was actually about to ask if you had to do something like that.” Chun-Li said.

“Yeah, I use it every time before I exercise. It doesn’t fully eliminate the chances of me getting an attack, but it makes it a lot less likely.” He explained to her.

“I see.” They walked in silence for a few seconds before Chun-Li spoke up again.

“So, how long has it been like this for you again?” She asked him.

“Since I was a toddler.” He replied.

“Goodness. I don’t imagine growing up like that was much fun.” Owen sighed in response. “It wasn’t. It used to be a lot worse too. I ended up in the ER more than once because of it.”

“ _Definitely_ not fun.” Chun-Li said, making him chuckle a little.

“Thankfully though I haven’t had an attack like that in a good long while. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be rid of it anytime soon, if ever.” He told her.

“Well, from the looks of things, you seem to be doing well in spite of that.” Chun-Li told him, which he took to mean as a compliment.

“I try.” He replied, which made her laugh.

“So, I see.” By now the two of them were approaching the top of the staircase, where he could see a small opening in the trees that allowed sunlight to pour onto the sidewalk.

“Ooo, I just remembered what’s up ahead. Come take a look at this.” Taking him by the hand, she led him along the now smooth walkway to a spot with a wide opening in the trees, giving them a clear view of the landscape and mountains of the island.

“Wow.” Owen said as he looked across the vast expanse of green.

“Yep. And this is just a taste of things to come.” She told him, after which he looked away from the landscape in front of him.

“Well, colour me intrigued.” He said with a smile.

“Now that’s what I want to hear. Come on.” The two of them turned back and continued on their path. Trees and foliage covered either side of the walkway, providing a much welcome shade as they walked.

“By the way, how’s that school of yours coming along?” He soon asked her.

“Oh, you know. I made about as much progress as you’d expect in a few weeks. Which is to say, none at all.” She replied in jest.

“Heh, heh, okay. But I meant in general.” He clarified.

“It’s been slow going. Getting the money for the location is one thing, but then there’s also the equipment and the marketing....” Chun-Li started to say.

“All of which is coming out of your pocket.” Owen concluded for her.

“Exactly. So yeah, I don’t think I’ll be quitting my day job any time soon.” She then said.

“What, the police life not doing it for you anymore?” He asked her.

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s a good job, but at the same time, it just felt like the time was right to try something new, you know?” She explained.

“I see.” He replied. After a short while, Owen remembered something they had talked about a good long while ago.

“Say, you never did end up telling me about those work trips of yours, did you?” He suddenly remembered.

“Hmm, now that you mention it, no, I don’t think I did.” Chun-Li said.

“Well go on, then. I’m listening.” He said as an invitation for her to get around to it. At first, she seemed to ponder about what she should say, until she eventually settled on something.

“You wouldn’t happen to know about something called the “World Warrior Tournament”, would you?” She asked him.

“Can’t say that I do, but if I were to make a shot in the dark, I’d say it was some sort of martial arts tournament?” Chun-Li nodded in response.

“You’d be correct, but at the same time, it’s a little more complicated than that. See, these tournaments… they weren’t exactly official.” She told him, which admittedly piqued his interest.

“Go on.” He prompted.

“They were organized and funded by a criminal organization; essentially, it was an illegal fighting circuit on a worldwide stage, except it was out in the open for everyone to see.” She started to explain, which admittedly confused him.

“What? Why would they do that?” He asked her.

“And that’s exactly why I participated in them.” She suddenly segued. “It was part of an investigation. If I got far enough in the tournament, I could get some valuable information, if not bring down the ones who organized it.”

“Interesting. But what was stopping you from just shutting it down right away?” He asked in order to clarify.

“Well, believe it or not, even if I had the chance to do that, I can’t actually arrest anyone outside of my jurisdiction.” She revealed to him, which took him somewhat by surprise.

“Wait, what? But I thought you worked for Interpol.” He said in mild disbelief.

“I do, but I still have to abide with this pesky little thing called ‘national sovereignty’. No government is going to let me run around arresting anyone I want willy nilly.” Chun-Li followed up by saying.

“So, what do you do then?” He asked her.

“Well, look at it like this. Technically, I’m still a member of the Hong Kong Police, but I also have connections to Interpol’s inter-agency communications network. So, if any foreign agency needs to conduct investigations in Hong Kong or vice versa, I’m one of the people that can provide that connection. Not that exciting, I know, but that’s true of pretty much all law enforcement.” Chun-Li’s explanation admittedly made sense, but it didn’t address one key aspect.

“Okay, well, what about the authorities of the place the tournament was held? Why didn’t they shut it down?” Was the next question he asked.

“Because the “World Warrior” bit wasn’t just a catchy name. Not only were there fighters from all over the world, but the tournament itself took place all over the world too.” She explained, which brought about an all-new question.

“How does that work?” He inquired.

“Well, see, what would happen is that I’d fight one opponent in say Brazil, then when that was done, I’d hop on a plane and fly over to another country to have my next match.” She told him.

“That sounds rather expensive.” Was the only thought that sprang to mind upon hearing her explanation.

“Probably was. But to be honest, it was a really sneaky move on their part. Since they didn’t rent out any fighting venues in any set location, nobody could really move in and shut them down right away. Well, that and I assume they paid off a fair share of people to look the other way as well.” Was the explanation she offered.

“Jesus…” Owen said as he tried to make sense of all this new information.

“Yep.” Chun-Li said. Despite all that she had told him, he still had one more question.

“So, tell me. With all that, how exactly were you able to conduct this investigation at all?” Said Owen.

“Ah, see, that’s just the thing – I wasn’t _really_ a cop in that instance. I was only providing information to Interpol instead of kicking down doors and such.” Chun-Li replied.

“And instead, you were kicking people in the face.” He managed to make her laugh by pointing this out.

“I mean, yeah, that’s accurate.” She replied after she had finished laughing. “Oh, and I should probably mention I had to kick a car too.” She suddenly added on, leaving him utterly baffled.

“You what?!” He exclaimed.

“You heard me right. They made me try to destroy a car as part of that tournament. I guess the idea behind it was that they wanted to ‘test our might’, so to speak.” She said, once again showing no sense of awareness of how outlandish the things she was describing were. After a few seconds of silence, Owen laughed and turned his eyes back on the path.

“You know, you almost had me there.” He admitted to her.

“Fine, don’t believe me. But ask yourself this; could I really make something like that up?” She pointed out, which admittedly made a lot of sense.

“What type of car was it?” “A Toyota Lexus LS. 4th Generation.” She answered without missing a beat.

That just about confirmed it. At one point in time, the woman in front of him had set about destroying a car using nothing more than her own strength. By this point, he had several more questions he could ask, but simply couldn’t think of anything else to say. Instead, he simply stared at her in confused silence, which Chun-Li quickly took notice of and laughed.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. You wanted to hear the story.” She reminded him with an amused smile.

“I know, I know. I just wasn’t expecting…that.” He said when nothing better came to mind.

“Yeah, I didn’t realize how silly all that sounded until _after_ I said it out loud.” Said Chun-Li.

“So, what happened after you…destroyed that car?” He asked, wondering where else this ride would take him.

“Well, there was a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff that the organization I was investigating had going on, but frankly, if I told you about that, you’d probably think I was crazy.” She replied.

“You don’t say.” Owen said in a more sarcastic tone, which Chun-Li quickly took notice off.

“Okay, fine. _Crazier.”_ She rescinded her earlier statement.

“So, this organization you keep mentioning. What were they called?” She sighed in response to his question.

“I mean, technically there were three different tournaments with different organizers, but all of them had connections to one central source – Shadaloo.” Owen immediately remembered that name, the one that Li-Fen had mentioned in her letter. And the one Chun-Li herself had told him about all those months ago.

“I should’ve known.” He said with a sigh.

“Yeah. And I’m sure you already guessed that I wasn’t just in those tournaments for the sake of investigating.” Owen had in fact come to this conclusion based on what he already knew.

“Did you do it?” He asked her.

“No. I was after the guy in charge and either someone got to him before I did, or he did something to himself to avoid being caught. Either way, he came back and I missed my chance then too.” She explained to him.

“Were you really willing to go that far?” Chun-Li appeared hesitant to answer his question, but eventually she turned to look at him.

“I don’t know. I kept telling myself it was the only way to ensure he wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again, but I was never sure if I had the strength to see it through.” She paused for a moment before adding on. “But like I said…I couldn’t bring him in.”

“I see.” With that said, Owen used the ensuing silence to think about what he had just learned. It didn’t take much to assume Chun-Li had it out for Shadaloo, but she had never seemed like the type of person who would ever kill and from the sound of things, she never had.

But at the same time, what little he did know about Shadaloo was enough to tell him that they were nothing short of pure evil. What they had done to Li-Fen was horrible enough on its own, but that was no doubt just the tip of the iceberg with them. And he couldn’t bring himself to imagine the type of person could be in charge of such an organization.

“You think we’re ever going to have a normal conversation?” Chun-Li eventually asked.

“At this point, I think we can consider this _our_ version of a normal conversation.” He replied with a smile.

“I’m trying to put it all behind me – really, I am. But it’s just…” Owen put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, causing her to look over to him in mild surprise.

“It’s fine. I understand.” He told her. After a short while, Chun-Li smiled at him and nodded to him to show her gratitude.

Although their situations were vastly different, Owen knew full well that it was difficult to move on after losing someone important. Then again, he supposed that wasn’t the only thing they had in common; they were the people they were today specifically because of that loss and he knew Chun-Li to be compassionate, dutiful and fully committed to doing what was right.

After taking her hand off her shoulder, the two of them continued on, which gave them a chance to take their conversation into a different direction.

“That said, I did have one more question for you that’s somewhat related to what we just talked about.” He told her.

“That being?” Said Chun-Li.

“Well, you’re clearly super into martial arts. So, I was just wondering how that whole thing got started for you.” Owen waited for Chun-Li to reply.

“I watched a Bruce Lee movie when I was five.” Was what she eventually replied with.

“Okay….and?” Owen said, wondering if he had missed something.

“That’s it.” She said with a shrug.

“Wha-really?” He uttered in mild disbelief.

“Yeah. I saw the movie, wanted to do what I saw in the movie and I’ve been doing it ever since.” Chun-Li replied.

“Huh. Thought there’d be a bit more to that, honestly.” He admitted, causing Chun-Li to laugh.

“Owen, I was five. You think I needed more of a reason than thinking it was cool?” She pointed out.

“You got me there.” He replied, before deciding to roll with it. “So, what movie was it?” Owen asked her.

“ _Fist of Fury.”_ She quickly answered, like she remembered it by heart.

“And your favorite one is…” “ _Way of the Dragon,_ naturally.” Owen smiled and lightly shook his head.

“You know, part of me felt like you’d be a fan of those sorts of films, but another part thought ‘Nah, that’d be too obvious’.” He said to her.

“Honestly, what’s not to love? I don’t think anybody’s done more to get people interested in martial arts than he has. Also, they’re just really fun to watch.” Owen couldn’t help as he listened to Chun-Li’s gushing at the topic.

“Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a few posters around town with someone who reminded me of him. Ah, what was his name…?” He uttered as he tried to remember it.

“Fei Long?” She answered for him.

“Right, that’s it. You know if his stuff is any good?” He then asked her.

“I mean, I watched a couple of his movies – I guess they’re okay. That and I did meet him in person once.” This caught Owen’s attention.

“Why do I have the feeling this meeting wasn’t at a convention?” Him saying this caused her to smile and look away.

“Very astute of you. But, if nothing else, I can tell you the stuff he does in his films isn’t special effects.” She said in reply.

“I wouldn’t know. I can’t say I watch a ton of martial arts movies.” He said.

“Oh yeah? Then what do you like to watch?” “Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for those comedy shows that used to run in the U.K, though I don’t imagine those are too well-known around here.” He replied by saying.

“Actually, I have a friend that’s from the U.K. I distinctly remember her telling me about something called… well, I don’t remember for sure, but she insisted that it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen in her life.” As Chun-Li recounted this little anecdote, Owen almost immediately deduced what she was talking about.

“Hmm, let me guess. Monty Python, right?” “ _That’s_ what it was called. It was on the tip of my tongue this whole time.” Chun-Li exclaimed, to which he could only chuckle in response.

“So, what I’m getting from this is that we both have some catching up to do.” He said in jest.

“I mean, I still have my old DVDs, but Li-Fen kind of has them right now.” She informed him with a sly smile, her message very clear.

“Another time then.” The two of them shared another smile.

“Agreed.” She said to him, after which the two of them turned their attention to the road ahead for a little while.

“You know, someone tried to make a movie about me once.” Chun-Li eventually broke the silence by saying, immediately catching his attention.

“Is that so?” “Yep.” She confirmed, sounding none too pleased about it.

“And how’d that turn out?” He inquired, genuinely curious.

“Well, for one there were…quite a few liberties taken with the screenplay.”

Owen soon found out that this project never made it past the pre-production stage, among many other things. The route that Chun-Li had picked out for them took them along the southernmost point of the island, the shade provided by the foliage shielding them from the sun as they walked.

Through all this, the two of them did not rush through their little adventure, making sure to stop both for water breaks and to simply admire their surroundings. And unsurprisingly, Chun-Li’s level of energy proved to be extensive and not to mention infectious. Even when Owen thought they would run out of things to talk about, the conversation between them just kept on flowing.

“So, remind me again, how was yer man able to do all this?” He found himself asking Chun-Li some way into their hike.

“Yoga, or so he says.” Chun-Li replied, sounding a little skeptical.

“And tell me, what type of yoga lets you teleport? Because that’s the one I’d like to learn.” He said in reply.

“You know, I expected you to be a bit more skeptical about all these stories.” She teased him by saying.

“Honestly, after that stunt Li-Fen pulled a while back, I’m inclined to believe just about anything.” Owen said.

“Actually, that reminds me. Are you still doing Tai Chi?” Chun-Li asked him.

“I am. Why?” “Just curious about your progress, is all.” She replied.

“And what exactly is considered progress in this case?” He inquired, genuinely unsure. However, Chun-Li didn’t offer him an immediate answer.

“You know what, let’s pick up on this a little later. We have a detour up ahead.” She announced and sure enough, Owen could see a sign pointing in multiple directions. Once they got close enough, the two of them turned away from the path they were on and towards…yet another flight of stairs. He gave her a silent miffed look, which she quickly noticed.

“I know, I know. But it’ll be worth it, trust me.” She assured him. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a resigned sigh.

“Alright, if you say so.” He said.

“Good, because I’m actually very excited to show you this. I think now’s the perfect time of day to go up here.” She said to him.

“Can’t wait.” He replied.

With that, the two of them started their ascent. Making sure to keep his breathing steady, Owen tried to keep his eyes squarely in front of him, but his gaze soon settled on Chun-Li, who was a few steps ahead of him on the stairwell. He had tried his hardest throughout the school year to avoid letting his eyes wander for the sake of professionalism, but…

“ _Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”_ Was what was going through Owen’s head as he looked at her. He could only imagine the amount of training she must’ve done to get into the shape she was now, but it had paid off exponentially.

“You still there?” She said without so much as turning her head, snapping him back to reality.

“I am.” He swiftly diverted his gaze as he said this.

“You sure?” This time she turned to look at him, revealing a sly smile on her face; clearly, she was fully aware of what he had been doing. Owen couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed, nervously smiling and averting his gaze in silence. In response, Chun-Li giggled and turned her gaze forward once more.

“Oh, come on. You really think this is the first time I noticed?” She teased him.

“Hey, I’m only human.” He said to conceal his embarrassment. 

“I know. But as flattering as it is, that’s now where your eyes are supposed to be right now.” He felt another rush of heat to his cheeks.

“Please stop…” He said in response to her continued teasing.

“Ah, take it easy. I’m only ‘codding’.” Now instead of feeling embarrassed, Owen held back a groan.

“Please, _please_ stop.” He begged her again.

“Yeah, you’re right, that was terrible. I’ll stop now.” She said in reply.

“Well, at least you used it correctly.” Owen said to her.

“Ah, so I didn’t do all that homework for nothing. Good to know.” Owen silently smiled and shook his head, continuing up what little remained of the stairwell in silence.

They soon left the shade of the trees; by now, the sun was going down, making it much less humid than it was when they had started and giving the clouds overhead something of a reddish hue. But as they went further away from the trees, Owen could see the true reason Chun-Li had decided to bring them up here. They were at the edge of a fairly high peak and even at their current position, he could see much of the island they were on, hills, coastline and all.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chun-Li said standing just beside him.

“No kidding.” He said in reply.

“And the best part is it only gets better the further up you go.” Owen looked to her, then at an even higher hill behind her, than back to her.

“Well, then what are we waiting for?” Chun-Li smiled and took his hand.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” And so up they went and sure enough, the view only got better the higher they went. Soon, Owen could see not only a good chunk of Lamma Island, but the surrounding islands as well, as well as the water surrounding separating them. All the while, the sun continued to set, making the upwards trek all the more pleasant as the daytime humidity gradually lessened.

Of course, that wasn’t to say the process was easy. By the time him and Chun-Li had reached what he assumed to be the peak of the hill, he was thoroughly drenched in sweat and almost completely out of breath.

“Okay. I think…I think that’s enough for now.” He said to Chun-Li as they stopped along a pathway surrounded by several large, precariously balanced rocks.

“You know, I’ll have to agree with you there.” She said. With a nod, Owen let go of her hand and set about trying to catch his breath. Over the years, he had learned that the best way to deal with his asthma while exercising was simply to stop and take steady breaths when things got particularly challenging; he had learned the hard way that panicking only raised the possibility of an attack.

“Say, what time is it?” Owen looked down at his watch and answered “Just after 6:30.”

“Hmm…” He noticed that Chun-Li seemed to be thinking something over in her head.

“What?” He asked her after she hadn’t said anything for some time, but instead of responding, she simply smiled at him.

“Come with me.” She said as she grabbed his hand and started leading him somewhere.

“Woah, what’re you doing?” He questioned her.

“Don’t worry, just taking us off the path for a bit.” She answered, even if she didn’t specify exactly why. 

Chun-Li took them off the path and after carefully walking over a handful of large stones, they soon found himself standing on a large slab of rock overlooking the landscape. Before them was a long green and rocky hill which led down to the coastline of the island, with the peaks of distant islands being visible in the distance; the sun was going down as well, which made the sight all the more serene.

“So, what do you think?” Chun-Li said to him after a few seconds.

“I think it’s lovely.” He replied as he started off into the distance.

“Good. Now, how about we take a look at the progress you’ve made?” Owen looked over at her in surprise.

“Excuse me?” He said, unsure if he had heard her correctly.

“You remember that ‘stunt’ Li-Fen pulled, don’t you?” Chun-Li asked him.

“Ohhh.” He said, immediately realizing what she wanted him to do.

“Is that a yes?” She questioned with a raised brow.

“Well, sure. But…you do realize I’ve never actually tried it before, right?” Chun-Li seemed to be somewhat surprised by this admission.

“You haven’t? How come?” “Don’t get me wrong, I definitely thought about trying it a few times, but…I couldn’t find anywhere to really do it, you know?” He explained to her.

“Yes, I see.” She said with a smile. “I assume you’d like a refresher?” Owen didn’t give her a straight up answer, which by itself seemed to answer her question.

“Alright.” Chun-Li moved so she was standing just beside him. “I assume you know what ‘rooting’ is at this point, right?” Owen nodded to confirm.

“Good. Do that first and then when you think you’re ready, start rubbing your palms together like this; when they’re warm, start slowly pulling them apart like so until you feel a tug – that’s how you know it’s working.” Chun-Li demonstrated the technique to him as she explained it and rather quickly, a sphere of flowing blue energy formed between her palms, taking him completely by surprise.

“And seeing as we’re here, why don’t I show you what you can do with these.” She told him, the effort to maintain the ball appearing almost effortless for her. Before he can ask her what she meant, she turned to face the landscape before them and thrust both of her palms forward.

“ _Kikohen_!” She yelled out as she sent the ball of energy flying forward. Owen watched in awe as the projectile travelled through the air for what looked like miles before it eventually dissipated, leaving him to stare at Chun-Li in stunned silence. Straightening herself out, she patted him on the shoulder.

“Your turn.” She casually told him, leaving Owen to shake himself out of his shock.

“Alright. Here goes nothing, I guess.” He eventually said.

“No pressure.” Chun-Li told him.

With that, Owen closed his eyes and let out a deep exhale as he imagined himself being rooted to the ground below him, taking the time to relax his mind and keep his focus on his breath. Once enough time had passed, he started to follow Chun-Li’s instructions, paying close attention to the energy flowing through his body.

After some time, he started to feel a bit of resistance between his palms, just as Chun-Li had described.

“Oh God, did I actually do it?” He said out loud.

“Focus.” He heard Chun-Li politely remind him. “Right, right.”

Owen continued to move his palms for several more seconds, feeling the resistance strengthen with each movement. Eventually, he opened his eyes to find that a fairly large sphere of energy had formed between his palms, causing him to nervously chuckle as he looked over to Chun-Li, who stood smiling proudly.

“Uh…what do I do now?” He asked, realizing that he had no idea what to do with it.

“Just throw it out.” “How?” Owen said in reply to Chun-Li’s suggestion.

“Okay, don’t panic. Just try to do what I did earlier.” She instructed him as she stood slightly behind him.

Taking a deep breath, Owen thrust his palms forward and let the ball of energy fly, though it only travelled a few meters before it dissipated. As he stood there trying to make sense of what had just happened, he heard Chun-Li laugh before she threw her arms around him from behind.

“See? I knew you could do it.” Chun-Li said as she kept her head on his shoulder, which made him chuckle in response. The two of them simply stood smiling for a few seconds before Owen eventually spoke up.

“I feel a bit drained. Is that normal?” He asked her.

“Yeah, that tends to happen the first time around. You want to sit down for a bit?” She asked him.

“That’d be wonderful.” He replied just before he started to settle down on the rock, with Chun-Li following suit soon after.

“How’re you feeling?” She soon asked him, appearing to be somewhat concerned.

“Don’t worry, I’ll live.” He assured her with a small smile. “Hands are still shaking a bit, though.” He showed her visual proof.

“Intense, isn’t it?” She asked him.

“Yeah, and mine wasn’t even that impressive, all things considered.” Said Owen.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Like I said, I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, so I had a lot more time to hone that skill. Besides, for a first attempt, that was pretty good.” Chun-Li told him.

“Really now?” He asked, not entirely convinced by her statement.

“I mean…I’ve definitely seen worse.” This made Owen chuckle a little.

“That’s what I thought.” He said as he pulled up his backpack to retrieve his water bottle, finding that he was almost completely parched.

“Ah, but don’t be discouraged. As long as you stick with it, you should get better in no time.” Chun-Li told him. “And who knows? Maybe you might even want to upgrade to something a little more…extreme.” Owen was just about to take a drink when she suggested this, making him look towards her and smile.

“Maybe.” He said before taking a drink of water.

“Ah, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Rest up – we still have a while more to go.” Chun-Li took out her water bottle as she did.

“I’ve got just the thing.” Shortly after saying this, he put his water bottle back into his backpack and swapped it out for the fan Li-Fen and Lian had made for him earlier in the year, allowing the cool gust of air it created to cool him off.

“Well, what do we have here?” Chun-Li said once she took notice of the fan, with Owen giving her a small, somewhat embarrassed smile.

“You don’t mind, do you?” He asked her.

“Oh no, by all means, go right ahead. Honestly, it was smart of you to bring one of those along.” She replied.

“Oh, I take this thing just about everywhere now. Comes in handy.” He said as he kept fanning himself, with Chun-Li seemingly attempting to get a better look at the object.

“Hmm, that looks like an interesting design. Where’d you get it?” Chun-Li then asked him.

“It was a gift, actually. Li-Fen and Lian made it for me.” She appeared somewhat surprised by this.

“Is that so?” Owen nodded in response. “You mind if I have a closer look?” She requested.

“Of course.” He offered her the fan, which she accepted. 

“Thanks.” She said as she took it from him. At first, she silently looked over the fan, but eventually turned her eyes back to him. After giving him a silly smile, covered the bottom half of her face with the fan, playfully batting her eyelashes at him.

“What on Earth are you doing?” He asked as he held back a laugh. In response, Chun-Li giggled and moved the fan away from her face.

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” She told him before turning her attention back to the fan.

“So, you say Li-Fen helped make this?” She asked him.

“That’s what I was told. I know for certain that these writings here were her idea.” After he pointed them out to Chun-Li, she started to read them. The longer she did, the wider her smile grew, until she finally looked back to him.

“Who is this ‘Mary Ellen Carter’ supposed to be?” She asked him.

“Nobody important.” Owen said after he couldn’t think of a good way to explain it.

“Right.” She folded up the fan and offered it back to him. “Anyway, I think it’s lovely.”

“It sure is. Want to know when I got it?” He asked her as he set about putting it back in his bag.

“When?” “The day I went home for the holidays.” He answered, watching as her expression lit up in realization.

“Oh, the same day when we…” Owen nodded to confirm. “Ah. Quite an eventful day, that was.” She said.

“Hehe, indeed.” He agreed. For the next little while, the two of them simply smiled at each-other, no doubt both recalling the trip they had taken together. It was Chun-Li who eventually broke the silence.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why did you say yes?” Owen shrugged. “Why did you make the offer?” He asked in response.

“You’re avoiding the question.” “So are you.” He pointed out, which led to her playfully hitting his arm with her elbow.

“Ah, settle down now. Is it even that important?” Owen asked after he finished laughing, rubbing his arm.

“Not really. But I just assumed that it’d be a little…let’s say risky for you to go with me.” She told him.

“I can see why you might think that, but in the grand scheme of things, you driving me somewhere once wasn’t exactly the worst thing you could do.” He looked over to her. “But even so, it’s not something parents usually offer to do for me.” Chun-Li smiled and averted her gaze somewhat.

“I mean…I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip by.” Was what she eventually replied with.

“Neither was I.” He told her, watching as her lips formed into a soft smile.

The next few moments passed without a word, as the two of them gazed at each other under the light of the sunset. Taking a chance, Owen brought a hand to her cheek and gently ran his knuckles along her skin, not breaking her gaze for a moment.

“Do you remember that first time we met?” He broke the silence by asking.

“Yeah, I do. Funny how things work out, huh?” Owen smiled as he brushed aside a few loose strands of hair.

“It sure is.” He quietly agreed. Honestly, the last thing Owen had expected that day was for that the two of them would eventually be doing…well, this. But then again, one more thing he hadn’t expected was to meet the most compassionate, committed and admirable woman he had ever known.

Owen slowly leaned in closer to Chun-Li and after she didn’t do anything to rebuff him, softly kissed her on the lips. This lasted for just a few seconds before he stopped and stared deep into her eyes, their faces but a hair’s breadth apart. As he gently ran his hand along her cheek, the two of them shared a small giggle before resuming their kiss.

Chun-Li’s lips turned out to be just as soft as he had thought they would be, but one thing that did end up surprising him was just how enthusiastic she was. Soon enough, the two of them were lying down on the rock, with him on his back and her hovering just above him as they kissed, paying little heed to the possibility of someone walking by and spotting them. The two of them had waited far too long for that to matter to them.

After some time, the two of them broke their kiss and simply stared into each-other’s eyes, smiling all the while. He had been taken by her beauty since the very first time he saw her and that hadn’t changed one bit from then to now; no matter how many times he saw her, she never failed to take his breath away.

As he cupped her cheek, he spotted his watch and was reminded of their current circumstances.

“We should probably get going. Wouldn’t want to keep Li-Fen waiting, right?” He softly said to her.

“Yeah, about that. Did I mention that she’s having a sleepover?” Owen’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this, which only made her smile more.

“No, I don’t think you did.” He replied.

“Oh, sorry. Must’ve slipped my mind.” She said, her tone more playful than apologetic. Getting over his initial surprise, he decided to play along.

“That mean you have the place to yourself?” He coyly asked her.

“Yep.” She replied, a devious smile on her face.

“And do tell, what were you planning on doing?” “Oh, you know, probably just having a little something to eat. After that, well…I’m open to ideas.” She said, her intentions quite clear.

Hmm, you know, I don’t have anywhere I have to be tonight. Would you like some company?” He suggested, already knowing how she was going to reply.

“Yeah, I think I would.” She softly said. After a few seconds of silence, the two of them made a silent agreement to get back up, with Chun-Li giving him a helping hand as he got back on his feet.

“All that being said, we’re still going to have to catch that next ferry.” She told him as they picked up their respective backpacks.

“Well, then we better hurry. I imagine there’s still a fair way to go.” He said as he slung his backpack back over his shoulder.

With that, the two of them set off again, over the rest of the elevated trail and back through the darkened forest path below. Thankfully, they managed to reach the ferry on time and were given a chance to rest on the all-but empty outdoor deck as they travelled back to the city. But even as he relaxed, his arm around her and her head resting on his shoulder, a sense of anticipation steadily grew within him.

The night was still far from over.

…..

_A few hours later._

After unlocking the door to her apartment, Chun-Li opened the door to allow her and Owen inside, quickly turning on the light as she did.

“Well, here we are.” She announced. Her date took a quick look around her apartment.

“Hmm, how cozy. Spacious, too.” He noted.

“You mean in comparison to your place?” She teased him as she set about removing her shoes.

“Hey, I had to take what I could get – Hong Kong real estate and all that.” Owen replied as he did the same. “Honestly, I was lucky my agent even managed to net me that apartment. Otherwise, I’d probably be sharing a closet with two other people right about now.”

“Let me guess – your agent’s a guy named Lee, right?” The way he looked over at her already told her she had guessed correctly.

“Had no idea he was so popular in these parts.” Owen said in response.

“Oh, I actually knew him before he got into the business – he helped me out a ton back in the day, which included helping me save up for this place.” She told him.

“I see. And how’d that come about?” Chun-Li briefly hesitated to answer.

“We had a…common acquaintance.” She eventually replied, deciding to leave it at that. She didn’t much feel like talking about her former teacher, especially after she found out what happened to him.

“But anyway, come in. Make yourself at home. Unfortunately, I’m going to need some time to get everything ready, but if there’s anything you’d like, just let me know.” She told him as they entered her apartment.

“I’m fine, thank you. But… where would I go if I want to tidy myself up a bit?” Owen then asked her.

“It’s to the right.” She said, motioning to the washroom as she did.

“Thank you. Do excuse me.” He politely said.

“By all means. I think I’ll make some tea in the meantime. You fine with jasmine?” She asked him.

“Sure. I’ll try to be quick.” “Oh no, take your time. I’ll go get started.” With a nod the two of them went off in opposite directions, with her making her way to the kitchen.

After washing her hands, Chun-Li opened up her freezer to take out some meat buns and dumplings she had prepared before she left; additionally, there was a sponge cake they would have with dessert. She had admittedly spent more time than she should’ve pondering over what they should have, but she ultimately decided to get all the preparation done ahead of time, both for the sake of time and because it would lower the chances of her screwing up in front of her date.

Over the next few minutes, she set up two separate pans on either one of her stove tops and placed a bamboo steamer containing the different foods they would be eating in each one; she also set a timer for fifteen minutes just to be safe. After that was done, she brought a small bowl of soy sauce and a pair of chopsticks for either of them to the table, before returning to the kitchen in order to finish preparing the tea. This process was mostly finished by the time she heard Owen re-enter the living room.

“You know, I kind of wish you had let me know we’d be doing this ahead of time. Would’ve thought to bring something of my own along, or at the very least a clean shirt.” Owen said as he re-entered the living room.

“Don’t worry about it. Get yourself settled in – I’ll be with you in just a moment.” She told him as she poured water into her teapot. Placing it on a tray along with the cups and utensils they’d be using, Chun-Li picked it up and turned to bring it over to her dining room table. As she did so, she noticed that Owen was standing in front of a small table which she used to display three very specific photos.

“What’re you looking at there?” She said to get his attention as she set the tray down on the dining table.

“Oh, sorry. Just wanted to get a better look, is all.” Chun-Li smiled and walked over to where he was standing, finding that his attention was focused on the picture in the center, which showed her as a little girl, hugging her father from behind as they both smiled for the camera.

“So, is that him?” Owen asked her after a few seconds.

“Yeah, that’s him.” She confirmed, softly smiling as she did.

“Gotta say. You can tell right away that he’s a cop.” Said Owen.

“It’s the mustache, right?” Chun-Li asked him, making a mock one with her finger.

“Partly, yeah.” Owen replied, with the two of them sharing a small chuckle.

“Yeah, he was a cop, alright.” Said Chun-Li.

“A ‘super cop’?” He said, which caused her to momentarily look back to him.

“Sure. I guess you could call him that.” Chun-Li looked back at the photo of her father - he had been her hero ever since she was a little girl, his commitment to the pursuit of justice second to none. She knew that her signing onto the force would inevitably lead to her being compared to him, as well as having to fill his shoes after his passing, something that would take a Herculean effort to accomplish.

“And that there’s your mother, I’m guessing?” She heard Owen say, his attention having shifted to one of the other photos on the table.

“Right again.” He was looking at a photo of a woman wearing a ceremonial qipao, similar to the one she wore in her battles.

“Hmm. Come to think of it, I don’t recall you ever mentioning her.” Owen pointed out.

“Well, truth be told, I don’t remember my mother all that well. She passed away while I was still very young – that’s the only photo dad had of her.” She explained, remembering how her father would always keep that exact photo at his work desk.

“Oh my. How unfortunate.” He said, which caused her to sigh.

“Yeah. I really wish I knew more about her, but father didn’t like to talk about her all that much – hardly a surprise I suppose.” The fact that her father chose not to marry again told her enough about how important she was to him and although he did the best he could in raising her alone, Chun-Li had always wondered what it would’ve been like if her mother had survived.

“And who’s that fella with your dad there? Your grandfather?” Chun-Li looked in the same direction as him to find he was looking at a photo of her father sitting besides an elderly man with a pointed beard.

“Oh no, that’s just the friend that I told you about before.” Owen looked back at her.

“You mean the assassin bloke?” Chun-Li nodded to confirm. “Damn. If that’s the case, he…really looks the part. Gives me the creeps.” He told her, which was hardly a surprise.

“I’m sure he had that effect on a lot of people.” Owen turned back to her, no doubt having taken note of her choice in wording.

“Oh, has he…” Chun-Li nodded to confirm.

“Yeah. I found out not too long ago – leukemia, from the looks of things.” Of course, that was what the coroner believed to be the case. It was far more likely that Gen had died fighting, just how he had always wanted.

“Ah, I see. I’m sorry to hear that.” Said Owen.

“Don’t be. I can’t say we were ever that close.” The last time she had seen Gen was during Seth’s tournament, where he had made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with her. Gen could’ve very easily killed her that day and yet he had chosen not too, but she was sure that decision had more to do with respect for her father rather than any real affection for her.

“Then why’d you keep the photo?” Owen asked her.

“I don’t really know. Sentimental attachment, I guess.” She replied after giving it some thought.

“To the picture or to him?” This question gave her pause. Her relationship with Gen had always been complicated, but she remembered a time where she looked up to him and his skill in battle, skills that never faded even in his advanced age.

“Well… I wouldn’t be who I am today without him.” She couldn’t think of any better way to put it. Gen had never been a good man, but he was nevertheless one of the strongest men she had ever known, for better or for worse.

“Tea’s ready, by the way.” Chun-Li broke the silence by saying.

“Ah, right.” The two of them walked over to her table, where Chun-Li sat Owen down and poured him a cup of tea.

“Thank you.” Owen said as he took the cup of jasmine tea. “Well, that was a bit of a bummer, huh?” He said as she started pouring herself a cup as well.

“It is what it is, I guess. Nothing I can do is going to bring my father or anyone else back. All that’s really left is to do is to just keep going and make sure their legacy lives on. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” Owen smiled and gazed down at his cup of tea.

“I guess I did.” He replied as he met her eyes again.

Chun-Li supposed that her and Owen were kindred spirits in that regard. Like her, he had lost someone who had nurtured and cared for him, which ended up shaping the rest of his life going forward. The circumstances were vastly different, sure, but the pain of that loss had nevertheless inspired him to dedicate his life to helping others and that was something that she greatly admired about him.

Not too long after that, the timer on her stove went off.

“Oh, right, the food!” Chun-Li exclaimed before standing up from her seat. She had a tendency to lose track of time, so it was a good thing she got into the habit of setting timers like this.

“Need any help?” He asked her, to which she shook her head.

“Thanks, but it should be just about done. I’ll only be a minute.” Owen nodded in understanding, allowing her to return to the stove.

Slipping on her oven mitts, Chun-Li took off the lid of the pan the dumplings had been steaming on, letting out a large cloud of steam. After taking the bamboo container out of the pan, she took off it’s lid to check on the dumplings; thankfully, it didn’t seem like anything was overcooked, which brought some semblance of relief. She then did the same for the meat buns and didn’t find anything amiss there either.

“Alright. Looks like we’re done.” She announced as set the lid to the side and picked the steamer back up.

“Ah, wonderful. I just realized how long it’s been since I’ve had a proper meal today, so I’m quite ready for whatever it is you’ve cooked up.” Owen said to her as she carried the dumplings over to the table.

“Now, what kind of host would I be if I let my guest go hungry. Here we are.” She set down the still steaming dumplings on the table.

“Wait a second. I’ve seen these before.” He said as he observed the dumplings she had set out.

“Ah, so you _have_ gone for yum cha before.” Said Chun-Li.

“My mother used to take us out for it all the time, but it’s been ages since the last time I went.” He explained to her.

“You mean you haven’t gone while you were here?” “Well, it’s meant to be something you do with other people, isn’t it?” He pointed out, which reminded her of just how long he’d been living on his lonesome until that point.

“Well, if nothing else, you can consider this a sort of reintroduction. I assume you know how to use chopsticks?” She asked him.

“I mean, I have used them in the past.” Chun-Li quickly picked up on what he was trying to tell her.

“Alright. Pick one up – doesn’t matter which.” Owen quietly complied, after which she leaned down in order to better reach his hand.

“Okay, so one goes down here. Don’t do anything with it just yet.” Chun-Li said as she put it between his thumb, before picking up the second chopstick.

“Now, this is the one that you’re actually supposed to move. The bottom one you have to keep a steady grip on with your thumb, while you use your fingers to move this one up and down.” She explained as she got his hand in the proper position.

“Like that?” He asked as he showed her.

“Yeah. Now, go on. Try and pick one of them up.” She watched as he carefully tried to pick up a dumpling with the chopsticks, making a small sound of frustration as it slipped from his grip. With a small giggle, Chun-Li picked up her own pair of chopsticks.

“Okay. Try going at it from the side like this.” Chun-Li demonstrated by picking up one of the dumplings. “See that? And now all that’s left to do is…” Deciding to be a little cheeky, she brought it up to him.

“Chun-Li, please…” Owen groaned as he realized what she was doing.

“Ah ah ah. Now, open wide.” She teased him, still holding the dumpling in front of him. After smiling at her for a few seconds, Owen eventually gave in and allowed her to feed him the offered dumpling, but not without first sighing in defeat.

“Well?” She asked him after it looked like he was finished chewing.

“Just as good as I remember them being.” Chun-Li stopped just sort of breathing a sigh of relief. Even after countless times making the things and having Li-Fen judge, she still found herself worried that she would somehow mess something up.

“And you can feel free to help yourself to them.” She handed him the chopsticks she had just used for him to practice with. “In the meantime, I’ll bring over what’s left. And if you’d like, I can also get a fork…” She started to say.

“Oh, shut up.” Owen said in response to her teasing, causing her to laugh and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Ah, relax. Now, get to practicing.” She said to him.

“Yes, ma’am.” With that, Chun-Li returned to the kitchen to retrieve the meat buns and when she returned, she found that he had already put a fair number of dumplings – at least four – on his plate.

“Ah, it’s all coming back to me now.” He commented as she approached.

“It just takes a little practice, is all – soon enough, it’ll be like second nature.” She commented as she set the second container down on the table.

“So, am I supposed to pick _those_ up with them too?” He asked as he pointed to the much larger meat buns she had prepared.

“No, but go on ahead and take one anyway. I think I’ve kept you waiting long enough.” She sat down next to him as she said this.

“Wait, wait. Are these those buns with the barbeque in them?!” Owen excitedly asked as he took one of the buns.

“Yes, sir.” She answered as she took one for herself. Owen used his chopsticks to cut it open, which revealed the bun’s steamy filling.

“Oh, I remember these being delicious.” Chun-Li couldn’t help but smiled as she observed his almost child-like reaction.

“Well, go on then. Dig in.” She invited. Owen then picked up a piece of the bun with his chopsticks and placing it in his mouth. Chun-Li followed up by eating a piece herself; thankfully, the pork filling had turned out great, retaining that classic tender taste she remembered.

“This recipe – it’s homemade, right?” Owen asked her.

“Well, yeah. I wasn’t going to serve you bargain-bin frozen food, now was I?” She jokingly said after she swallowed.

“Hey, I wasn’t accusing you of anything.” He replied before eating a dumpling. “Mm-hmm.” She said.

For the next few minutes, the two of them filled themselves up on the food she had prepared, washing it all down with tea.

“Mmm, that was delightful. You really are spoiling me tonight.” Owen said as he set down his chopsticks.

“Hey, we’ve been out for almost half the day now – the least I could do is make sure you didn’t go hungry.” She replied.

“Thank you kindly. But at the same time, it is getting rather late.” He pointed out with a smirk. Just by glancing at her clock, she could see it was well past 9 PM.

“Yeah, how about that?” The two of them simply smiled at each-other, before sharing a small laugh.

“So…” Owen placed his arms on the table and put his hands together. “What now?” He said with a devious glint in his eye.

“Hmm…” Chun-Li started running a hand up and down along his arm. “Well, unless you want to make your way back in the dark, I guess it’s going to be just you and me.” She said in her best sultry voice, causing Owen to raise a brow in surprise.

“My oh my. Where did _this_ come from?” Owen said with a smile.

“Don’t tell me you’re surprised.” Said Chun-Li. She thought it was clear she didn’t just invite him over for a bite to eat.

“I am here, am I not?” He motioned around the room with his eyes as he said this.

“Then I suppose that means we’re on the same page?” She asked with a sly smile.

“Why, of course. But I think it’s fair to warn you that protection was unfortunately not one of the things I thought to pack.” Owen informed her, which she had thankfully foreseen in advance.

“Oh, don’t worry, I made sure to pick up some condoms.” She assured him. “Did you?” Chun-Li nodded to confirm.

“Ah, good. Also, I’ll have to take quick puff beforehand just to be safe, so I have to ask that you wait for me for a little bit.” Owen said, motioning to his backpack that he left by the entrance as he did.

“I think I can do that. Come find me when you’re ready.” She said to him.

“Of course.” With that, Chun-Li stood up from her seat in order to make her way towards her room, running a hand along Owen’s shoulder as she passed. Just before she reached it, she looked back at him, finding that he had already reached his backpack.

“You know, it’s a bit of a shame you’re wearing the lenses. I always quite liked your glasses.” He looked back at her in surprise, but soon smiled.

“Is that so?” He said as he started opening up his backpack.

“Yeah. I think they suit you.” She admitted, even if she didn’t quite know why.

“Well, you’re in luck.” He took what looked like a small case out of his bag, which made her eyes widen in surprise. Owen smirked as he took notice of her surprise. “Lenses can slip out too, don’t you know? Always good to have something as a backup.”

“Makes sense.” Was all she managed to say as heat rushed to her cheeks.

“So…think I should switch them out?” His tone made it quite clear he was enjoying the effect he was having on her.

“I mean…can you?” She eventually replied.

“Sure. Give me a few.” With a nervous nod, she left him to it.

After entering her bedroom, Chun-Li took a heavy breath and turned on her bedside lamp to provide some lighting. She then opened the drawer on her nightstand to find a collection of small boxes containing various sizes of condoms, which she proceeded to take and set out. After this was done, she sat down on her bedside to wait for Owen to arrive.

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous, not just because she had wanted to do this for months now, but because she just didn’t know what to expect. For all she knew, what they were about to do would end up being a complete disaster, but then again, she had those concerns for the entirety of tonight and they hadn’t come true so far. She just had to relax. That’s all.

Soon enough, Owen walked into her room, his inhaler in hand. As requested, he had put on his glasses.

“All done?” She asked him as he approached.

“I am, but I’ll be keeping the old thing close by just to be safe. You don’t mind, right?” He replied, holding up his inhaler as he did.

“No, not at all.” She replied. With a nod, Owen promptly walked over to her nightstand, where he quickly took notice of the myriad of boxes she had left out.

“What is all this?” He asked her after he set down his inhaler.

“Yeah, see, I…wasn’t quite sure what size to pick out for you, so I bought a bunch of different ones just to be safe.” She admitted. Owen then turned to look at her and Chun-Li gave him a small smile.

“So what? I’m supposed to pick one of these out?” He asked her.

“That was the idea, yes.” She replied. Judging from the smile that found its way onto Owen’s face, he was rather amused by the situation.

“Alright then. Give me just a minute.” After sharing a quick nod, he turned back to the nightstand to sort through them. “You know, you could’ve saved yourself a lot of time and money if you had just asked me to get these myself.” He pointed out.

“I know, but…” She started to say, but hesitated.

“But what?” “Well, that’s not really something you _ask_ someone to do, you know? Besides, they weren’t too expensive – it’s no big deal.” She tried to explain.

“If you say so.” He spent just a little bit more time sorting through the boxes. “I think this one will do. Where do I put the rest?”

“Bottom drawer, please.” With that, he quickly opened it up and started placing the boxes inside.

“Um...is there a reason these spiked things are in here?” Chun-Li’s eyes widened in horror. She had forgotten to put them away somewhere else, hadn’t she?

“Oh, uh...don’t worry about those.” She said, hoping he couldn’t see the red forming on her cheeks.

“Okay, then.” Owen eventually said, setting back to work. “There. All done.” He said before turning to join her on the bed.

“Sorry about that, I…” She started to say, but he put his hand up to stop her.

“Don’t worry about it. And honestly, it’s quite cute how committed you were to all this.” Chun-Li’s eyes drifted to the side, heat rushing to her cheeks.

“Well, it helped that I knew what I wanted.” She replied, after which silence fell over the room, with the two of them softly smiling at each-other.

Admittedly, she had known right off the bat that she wanted to sleep with him, but it had been impossible to know whether that feeling was mutual. Regardless, she hadn’t wanted to appear desperate, hence why she decided to go with the route she did. Thankfully though, her planning had paid off.

“So, any ground rules you want to go over first?” Owen broke the silence by asking.

“What do you mean?” She asked in reply.

“Oh, you know. Boundaries, things that are off the table: stuff like that. Unless I completely misread the situation, of course.” Owen explained.

“Oh, no, not at all. I just don’t really have an answer for you, I guess.” She admitted, which seemed to confuse him somewhat.

“Really? How come?” He asked.

“Well, because I’ve never really done anything like this before.” This confession visibly surprised him.

“Oh...” He uttered.

“Yeah.” A brief silence settled over the bedroom. “How about you?” She eventually asked.

“A few times, but it’s been a while since I’ve last done it. Might be a little rusty.” He said in response.

“I see.” She found herself unsure as to what to say afterwards, but thankfully, Owen soon ended up breaking the awkward silence.

“So…this’ll be your first time, will it?” He said in a softer tone of voice.

“Yeah, it hasn’t been high up on my priority list over the past couple of years. That and I wanted to wait for the right time…” She paused her explanation and met his eyes. “And the right person.” She finished.

As the two of them found themselves sitting in silence once again, Chun-Li placed her hand on his as the two of them stared deep into each other's eyes. Despite how close they already were to each-other, she noticed that he still seemed a little hesitant.

“Are you sure about this, Chun-Li?” He asked her, even though she had made up her mind on the matter quite some time ago. Really, she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather share such a moment with.

“I trust you.” She declared. Not long after, Owen softly smiled at her and leaned in a little closer to her.

“Alright. Come here...” He said in little more than a whisper before he kissed her for the second time that night.

Whatever concerns Chun-Li might’ve had almost immediately vanished, with the desire she had been feeling for the past several months taking center stage. Her mind essentially switched to autopilot as their kiss steadily grew more intense and their hands started exploring, during which Owen managed to ease her vest off her shoulders.

The two of them made out like this for several more seconds, before stopping to catch their breath. She opened her eyes to find Owen staring at her through the lenses of his glasses, his hands gently holding either side of her face. One of them travelled up along her cheek before making its way over to one of her ox-horns, which he managed to undo; he soon did the same to the other one, allowing her hair to fall free. Feeling an almost magnetic pull to him, the two of them resumed their kiss with every ounce of passion they could muster, letting herself release the pent up feeling she had been carrying for all these months.

Owen lowered Chun-Li onto the bed, with the two of them sharing a small laugh before resuming their kiss. Deciding it was time to rid him of his shirt, with Chun-Li helping him pull it over his head to reveal his lean torso and broad shoulders, no doubt both products of his penchant for swimming. She had thought Owen was handsome before, but as she admired him now, he managed to take her breath away, which she might’ve found ironic if her mind had time to focus on anything else.

Owen then brought himself back down to her level, giving her another kiss on the lips as her hands ran along his now bare back. He soon surprised her by moving his lips to her neck, which sent a jolt of pleasure throughout her body. As he continued kissing her neck, he surprised her yet again when his hips also started moving, making it so he was rubbing against her crotch through their clothes. She soon found herself moving her head to grant him better access to her neck, lightly moaning all the while.

“Owen…” She uttered in between moans as she ran her fingers through his hair. The combination of all his actions – his lips on her neck, his hands running along her body and his crotch rubbing against hers – felt nothing short of amazing. To think he was able to make her feel this good without even needing to take any of her clothes off yet.

“Do you like that?” He tenderly whispered to her, which almost made her heart skip a beat. She didn’t realize how much she needed to hear him speak like that until now.

“Ooo, I definitely like that.” She whispered back.

“What…” He brought his lips right to her ear. “This?” He asked in a similarly sensual tone.

“Oh, hell yes…” Chun-Li had always found Owen’s accent alluring, but the way he was using it now was enough to drive her wild.

“Seriously though.” He then said, bringing them back to his original question.

“Don’t worry, it feels great. Just keep going.” She assured him.

“Alright. Just don’t forget you can speak up, okay?” Chun-Li couldn’t help but giggle in response to this reminder.

“Oh Owen, you’re such a sweetheart.” She said to him.

“Hey, can’t be too careful, right?” He replied as he kissed along her neck.

“True. But listen…” She said to get his attention, which caused him to look her in the eye. “Try not to worry about me too much, okay? I know I’m new and all, but it’s not like I’m made of glass. So, relax – do whatever feels right.” She said to him, bringing a hand to his cheek as she did. After a brief silence, Owen smiled down at her.

“Well, if you trust me.” He said to her, making her smile even more.

“I do.”

With that, the two of them were kissing again. Soon, his hands travelled under her shirt, which after a fair bit of build-up, he started to roll up, with Chun-Li lifting up her arms to help him get it off. Almost as soon as it was off, she threw her arms around his neck and went right back to kissing him, moaning into his mouth as her desire for him grew stronger by the second.

Now that she was sitting up, he managed to find a way to undo her bra, with Chun-Li letting out a light moan when his hands moved to fondle her breasts and then made many more when his mouth moved to join them. As he set about undoing the buttons to her jeans, his lips never rested, moving from her breasts, to her stomach and back to hers. Everything that Owen did to her appeared both energetic and careful, which worked together to bring her pleasure unlike she had ever felt before.

Soon, he was working to remove her jeans, with Chun-Li lying back on the bed in order to make it easier for him to pull them off. Once they were off, she watched as Owen looked over and admired her body. Well, a specific part of her body, more accurately.

“Wow…” Owen uttered as he ran his hands along her legs, with Chun-Li being unable to hold back a giggle at his reaction.

“I knew you were going to say that.” She said, making him momentarily look up and smile at her.

“Well, what else can I say? Just…wow.” After he finished saying this, he planted a soft kiss onto her left thigh, but what surprised her wasn’t the action itself, but rather how good it felt.

As Owen continued to caress and plant kisses along her legs, Chun-Li shut her eyes and lay back, simply allowing herself to enjoy his worship. She knew that they were usually the first thing people noticed about her and where most of their subsequent attention went, which did get rather frustrating at times, but that didn’t stop her from being proud of them; she had to work for them, after all.

But as it turns out, the most powerful part of her body was also the most sensitive to touch.

Eventually, she felt Owen sliding her underwear down her legs, leaving her completely naked. She watched as he kissed his way back up her legs and inner thighs, slowly making his way over to her crotch. Looking her right in the eyes, he gave her a cheeky smile before planting a small kiss just above her clit.

“Oh my God...” Chun-Li exclaimed as her hips bucked.

She heard Owen lightly chuckle just before he placed a kiss a little closer to her midriff, quickly working his way up back to her lips from there, pressing their foreheads together as he stared deep into her eyes. Just as she started to wonder why he had done so, Chun-Li suddenly felt his hand making contact with her loins, a soft gasp escaping her lips. No doubt encouraged by this, Owen kissed her and started to lightly massage her clit.

With every stroke of that oh so sensitive area, Chun-Li was reminded of that initial kiss he had placed there – the jolt of pleasure it had brought her. Yep, he was definitely teasing her… and it was working.

“How’s that?” Despite the confident tone he used, it was obvious he was experimenting and seeing how she reacted to his actions, so she made sure to let him know exactly how good he was making her feel.

“So good…it’s so good…” She uttered to urge him on.

“Do you still…” Just as he was saying this, his glasses fell off and tumbled down her face, leaving them to awkwardly stare at each-other for a bit.

“Oh, God damn it.” He uttered with an embarrassed smile, with Chun-Li being unable to stop herself from laughing a little. Chun-Li then quickly retrieved his glasses and carefully put them back on him.

“Ah, there you are.” Owen softly said after it looked like they were safely in place. Letting go of the temples, she brought her hands down so they were on either side of his face, which she held onto as she smiled up at him. Using his free hand, Owen brushed aside a few strands of hair on her forehead.

“You have such lovely eyes…” He softly told her, but she almost didn’t hear him, as she was herself busy admiring his brilliant green eyes. And as she stared into them, Chun-Li found herself… mesmerized. His desire for her was obvious, but there was something else there – something deeper than just simple lust.

“I want you…” She whispered to him.

“Go on. Want me to do what?” He said invitingly.

“No. I want _you,_ Owen. You have no idea how much – how long I’ve wanted you.” She admitted, letting all the feelings she’d held for him come spilling out. Although Owen was clearly taken aback by her confession, this surprise was only momentary.

“That goes both ways…” He whispered to her before claiming her lips once more.

Without breaking her gaze, his hand travelled in a downwards direction and soon, Chun-Li felt what must’ve been his finger slowly entering her. She found herself moaning as he resumed slowly pumping his fingers into her, with her own running through his hair as she deepened their kiss. Before long, Owen was once again travelling back south, tracing a path down her body with his lips as he continued to pleasure her with his fingers. After giving her another heated look, Owen’s mouth descended on her clit. All the while, Chun-Li found herself squirming in pleasure on the bed, her legs spread wide as she lost herself in ecstasy.

He was so tender. So passionate. So…loving. And although she hadn’t said it out loud, Chun-Li was ready to let him do whatever he wanted with her.

After a while, Owen stopped what he was doing and instead started running his hands down her legs, with Chun-Li looking on in between sensual breaths. Meeting her eyes once more, he put his head in between her thighs and went back to pleasuring her with his mouth, massaging her legs as he did. By now, her body was practically on fire and Chun-Li could feel that she was close to her limit.

“Don’t stop. Owen… oh God, yes, yes, YES!!!” She clutched the covers and threw her head back as orgasm racked her body, letting out several loud moans as she came. God, she felt incredible.

“Hey, hey, a bit too tight!” She heard Owen suddenly say, causing her to open her eyes and find his head was still between her legs, which she must’ve accidentally been applying pressure with during her orgasm.

“Shit. Are you okay?” She asked as she allowed him to slip out.

“I am. Holy hell, you’re strong.” He took a moment to lightly rub his head as he looked over her.

“Yeah, sorry. I guess I got a little carried away.” She said, still coming down from her high.

“So I noticed.” The two of them then shared a small chuckle, though Chun-Li couldn’t shake a feeling of worry for him.

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” She softly asked him as she moved over to him.

“I’m fine, Chun-Li - really. Though…” He cleared his throat. “I think I’m gonna have to take a breather.”

Chun-Li couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. Owen had really gone all out to ensure she received as much pleasure as possible, but she couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t giving enough in exchange – really, the only thing she’d done so far was choke him. Perhaps now was the perfect time to remedy that.

“Tell you what. You do that, but in the meantime, I want to try a little something.” She told him, which seemed to intrigue him.

“That being?” He coyly asked. In response, she gave him another small kiss on the lips.

“Oh, you’ll see.” She whispered before kissing him again.

They then shifted their position so Owen was resting on one of her pillows, with her on top of him. She could taste a little of herself on his tongue, which was much more arousing than she had expected. After some more kissing, Chun-Li decided it was time to experiment a little and see what made him tick. Her first move was to copy him a little and try to kiss his neck, which seemed to feel just as good to him as it did to her, judging from the surprised “ooo” sound he made when she first tried it. Despite this, Owen didn’t seem to want to lie still, deciding to kiss along her shoulders and bring his hands to her yet unexplored backside.

“Chun-Li…” He uttered right next to her ear, his voice dripping with desire. And just like that, she wanted to hear him make more noises like this.

With a few more kisses to his neck, she moved back to his lips, running her hands down his bare torso as she did. All throughout, she could feel his erection through his jeans, which became the center of her attention. As fun as all this had been, she figured it was about time they took things a little further.

With one more peck on his lips, Chun-Li started to move down along Owen’s body, kissing along his lean torso as she did. She really had no idea if she was doing this correctly, but the soft noises he was making as she worked drove her on. Eventually, she decided the time was right to start undoing his belt and they then worked together to get rid of Owen’s jeans, followed closely by his boxers, after which Chun-Li got her first sight of his erection. And then she just kind of froze, unsure of what to do next as she stared at it.

“Uh…” She heard Owen chuckle, no doubt catching on to her lack of coordination. She looked to him as she brought her hand close to his erection.

“Do I just…?” She started to ask with an embarrassed smile.

“Yeah. Go ahead.” He answered, to which she responded with a small nod.

After taking his dick in her hand, Chun-Li started to gently move it up and down, periodically looking back at him to test his reaction. She noticed some sort of sticky substance at the tip, which along with the encouraging sounds Owen was making, she took as a sign she was doing something right. Once enough time had passed, Chun-Li felt ready enough to take the next step.

Slowly, she brought her lips closer to the tip of his penis. She knew that guys apparently loved this sort of thing, but in preparing for tonight, this was probably what she had been most curious about. Keeping her eyes on his, she cautiously put her lips around the head and found…huh, actually it wasn’t bad at all. Had he washed it? It would certainly explain why it took him a while to join her earlier.

With the test run concluded, she went back to going down on him, steadily finding her groove as she started going a little faster and a little deeper. And Owen was clearly enjoying it, making a string of pleasurable groans as he lay back on the pillow.

“Yeah, that’s great…keep doing that…” He praised her, running one of his hands through her hair as he did.

Taking cue, she kept going down on him, deciding to try and stimulate his testicles as well, which she found had been shaved as well – go figure.

“Chun-Li, I’m…I’m getting close.” He warned her. That meant that he was about to orgasm, didn’t it? What would that even taste like? It was there where she took her lips off his erection and looked up to him, realizing that she had no idea how to handle this situation. 

“So…what do I do now?” She asked him.

“I don’t know. What’re you thinking?” Chun-Li racked her head to figure out an answer to his question.

“Uh…” Was all that came out, which made Owen chuckle.

“Afraid of making a mess, are you?” He asked in jest.

“A bit, yeah. But really, it’s just a little…well, I’m sure you get it.” She tried her best to explain and from the look on Owen’s face, he did understand.

“Right.” Upon him saying this, Chun-Li felt a little guilty. Surely, he must’ve been disappointed that she had deprived him of orgasm because of her own ignorance regarding sex – she knew she would be if she was in his position.

“Think we should try something else instead?” He eventually offered her, but by now, she had made up her mind.

“Oh, no, no. I’ll…I’ll try to swallow.” Chun-Li eventually decided, which evidently surprised him.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Why, would you prefer something else?” She asked in the most confidant tone she could muster, staring at him with an expectant smile.

“Well…seeing as you’re offering…” Chun-Li chuckled in response.

“That’s what I thought.” Upon saying this, she took him back into her mouth, intent on satisfying him. It wasn’t long until Chun-Li managed to bring him back the edge she had left him hanging on last time, during which she mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

“That’s it…I’m almost…Oh God, Chun-Li!!”

Barely a second later, Owen unraveled, shooting his semen directly into her mouth. Chun-Li ignored her first instinct to pull away, instead trying to hold out for as long as she could as more of the strange substance kept coming. She wasn’t quite sure what to make off it: it was almost unnaturally sticky and yet somehow…sweet?

Once it seemed he was done, she took her lips off of his cock. She hadn’t managed to get rid of it as it came, meaning she still had a little over a mouthful of the stuff left; scared to open her mouth at risk it would get on her bedsheets, Chun-Li focused on trying to get it down. All the while, she noticed that Owen was wearing a somewhat concerned look on his face.

“Hey, if you need to spit it out, I can go…” He started to offer, but she held up a finger to stop him. After a few seconds, she managed to gulp down enough times that all of it went away, allowing her to breath normally once more.

“Sorry about that.” Owen said after she was done.

“Don’t be. It really wasn’t that bad.” She replied, though he didn’t seem very convinced.

“Is that the truth or are you just saying that?” He said with a small smile, which she nervously returned

“I mean…did you like it?” Owen didn’t reply to her question right away, instead choosing to mull it over in silence.

“I might’ve.” He eventually admitted.

“Well, good. That’s what I was looking for.” She told him with a playful nudge, causing him to chuckle.

“You know you didn’t have to, right?” He reminded her.

“I know. But like I said, I didn’t want to make it all about me.”

The whole reason she had done all that was because she wanted to please Owen as he had her and that obviously meant that she had to step out of her comfort zone a little. And besides, she hadn’t been lying when she said she didn’t find it all that bad – really, she had found it rather…exciting.

“So, you still good to go?” He asked her.

“Without a doubt.” She replied, moving closer so she could kiss him again.

For the next fifteen or so minutes, her and Owen continued their foreplay, kissing, licking and touching each-other’s bodies. She found out that he loved when she nibbled on his ear of all things, as well as that she had a particularly sensitive spot on the back of her knee, among other things. Although her partner did have to reach for his inhaler once, he was quick to jump into the fray.

Really, this sort of exploration she found was just really fun, on top of being pleasurable for the both of them. And through it all, Chun-Li never felt uncomfortable, but that wasn’t really much of a surprise. It was clear that Owen wanted her to enjoy herself…and that he was just as attracted to her as she was to him.

But as fun as it was, she did eventually want to take things to the next level.

“Get the condom.” She eventually instructed.

“You sure?” Owen asked her, to which she nodded.

“Yes. I’m ready.” She declared.

With that, Owen reached for the packet that he had left out earlier and opened it up. “Okay…done.” He uttered to himself as he rolled the condom down along his penis. Afterwards, he gave her an expectant look.

“How do you want this to go?” He asked her.

“I…I’m not really sure.” She admitted. “What do you think?” He seemed to think it over for a second.

“Would you like to be on top?” He offered, catching her a bit by surprise.

“Me?” “Sure. That way we can do things at the pace you’d like. How’s that sound?” Owen said to her, leaving her to think it over. She had never considered such an avenue before, but the way he put it made quite a lot of sense to her.

“Okay. Let’s do it.” Chun-Li eventually said.

“Come here.” He softly said, prompting her to crawl on top of him.

With his back still resting against the pillows, Owen helped her get into position, straddling his waist and positioning her just on top of his erect cock. Holding onto his shoulders, she looked to him for reassurance, who smiled and gave her a small, comforting kiss on the lips.

“Whenever you’re ready.” He whispered to her. 

With that, Chun-Li decided it was time and slowly but surely started taking Owen’s length inside of her; his hands were on her hips, helping guide her down. Letting out a surprised gasp, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin shoulder, during which she let it stay inside her for a little while so she could get used to it. It’s not that it hurt, but really, she couldn’t find a proper way to describe this feeling; it was strange and yet so…pleasing.

As she adjusted, Owen’s arms enveloped her in a comforting embrace and with a few soft kisses to her neck, he started slowly moving his hips. With each movement, Chun-Li took a little more of him inside her, moaning as the pleasure steadily built up as well. She thought about just how long she had waited for this – the nights she spent dreaming of him touching her just like this…and wondering how good it would feel with him inside her. They had been shameful thoughts she had tried to bury, but she had no intention of denying them now.

Any sense of doubt was thrown to the wind as she kissed Owen as deeply as she possibly could, which promptly led to him steadily increasing the rhythm of his thrusts. Eventually, she started moving her hips in time with his, allowing him to go even deeper inside of her. Eventually, Owen broke their kiss and lightly nipped at her bottom lip.

“My, what a quick learner.” She laughed in response, before letting him move in to kiss her neck. Soon, she felt herself approaching that familiar high she had experienced a few minutes ago and she once again went over the edge, moaning into Owen’s mouth as waves of pleasure shot through her body.

For a moment, Chun-Li wondered if she was dreaming again; whether she’d soon wake up alone with sweat drenching her bedsheets. But this was no dream. This was very real, and she desperately wanted more.

“More…” She whispered into Owen’s ear as she ran her finger through his dirty blonde hair.

“What was that?” He sounded more surprised than anything.

“Owen. I want more…please…” At first, there was silence, making her worry that she had accidentally killed the mood. But this lasted for only a few seconds before Owen gave her his response.

“With pleasure.” He whispered.

Chun-Li soon found herself lying on her back, with Owen hovering over her as he once again positioned his cock by her entrance. After quickly checking to make sure that the condom wasn’t broken, he met her eyes, with the heated look he was giving her making her quiver with excitement. He then took both of her hands and laced his fingers through hers, pinning them against the bed; however, he didn’t do anything afterwards, which told her he was waiting for her consent. After she gave him an affirming nod, Owen entered her once again.

As before, they started off slow before gradually picking up the pace, with Chun-Li adjusting her position and putting her legs around his waist to ensure he could penetrate her as deeply as he could. Yet now, she found herself in a much more vulnerable position than before; he was in control and for the time being, she was somewhat restrained by him holding her hands down…and she loved it. As surprised as she was to admit it, there was something so exciting about her not having the upper hand for once, even if she knew she wasn’t in any real danger.

“Chun-Li, I’m…I’m getting close.” Owen warned her in between thrusts, snapping her back to reality somewhat.

“Did it break?” She asked him. “I don’t think so.” He replied, with her not being able to spot anything wrong when she glanced down either.

“Then keep going.” She told him, spotting a glint of concern in his eyes.

“You sure?” “Yeah…” Chun-Li replied with a nod. For the next couple seconds, Owen continued to thrust into her, his breathing growing more pronounced with each one.

“Oh God! Oh…” Owen exclaimed as he suddenly ceased his thrusting and put their foreheads together, letting out soft, relieved breaths as he came. As he settled down, he released her hands, allowing Chun-Li to embrace him and place a few kisses on his shoulder and neck.

“How’re you feeling?” She eventually asked him, wanting to make sure his asthma wasn’t acting up.

“Fantastic…” He replied. “And you?”

“Same. You were amazing.” She whispered into his ear.

“So were you.” For the next couple of seconds, the two of them relaxed against each-other as they came down from the high of their sex.

Some of her hair was partly clinging to her shoulders due to the sweat that she had worked up; really, she was surprised by just how difficult sex could actually be. But despite her fatigue, Chun-Li found herself grinning from ear-to-ear. Staying a virgin well into her late 20s wasn’t something she ever particularly regretted and now that she had decided to finally do the deed, she didn’t regret waiting as long as she did either.

“I take it you’re tired too?” She softly asked him.

“Very.” He replied. Considering the two of them have pretty much been moving for half the day, it wasn’t all too surprising they were exhausted.

“Think we should call it a night?” She then asked.

“Probably a good idea. Should I…?” Chun-Li knew exactly what he was going to ask her.

“Don’t even think about it. Stay – I’ll drop you off tomorrow.” She told him, having no intention of letting him make his way home alone this late. Besides, she wanted him here with her.

“Sounds good.” Owen replied. Chun-Li allowed herself to enjoy his warm embrace for a little while longer, until a much less pleasant feeling couldn’t be ignored any longer.

“I… really need to use the bathroom.” She told him, which caused him to chuckle.

“Hold on.” After taking hold of the end of the condom, Owen pulled himself out of her and moved a bit to the side to let her pass.

“Go ahead.” He told her, after which she sat up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Thanks.” She said to him before getting off the bed. Once her feet were actually on the floor, Chun-Li found that it felt just a little weird to stand up and even stumbled just a little, with Owen taking notice and sharing a quick laugh with her before she started making her way to her bathroom. But just as she was about to leave, she had a rather…interesting idea.

“Say, how would you feel about a shower?” She asked Owen, who seemed to be in the process of discarding the condom.

“You know, that sounds wonderful. I take it you want to go right now, though?” He said to her.

“I do. Care to join me?” Owen had clearly not been expecting this invitation.

“Um…” “I know what I said.” She said just as it seemed he was about to question her on what she meant. After a few more seconds of silence on his part, he shrugged and smiled at her.

“Sure.” Was his answer. And so, her and Owen would end up sharing her shower, allowing the warm water to wash away the sweat and grime that had built up throughout their little adventure.

Her intention wasn’t so much in continuing where they left off as it was for the sake of convenience - convenience of time, more aptly, seeing as her shower wasn’t exactly the most ideal space for two people to share. Still, that opened up another opportunity for the two of them to play around with each-other: helping each-other clean, sharing a few laughs…stealing the odd kiss. It was admittedly a rather odd thing to do, but everything unfolded naturally; she was comfortable with him and he was with her.

Coming out of the shower refreshed, they threw on the bare minimum amount of clothing and finally settled in beneath her covers. Her bed was obviously meant for only one person, which meant they had to lie very close to each-other, which suited her just fine. Resting her head against Owen’s shoulder and letting his arm envelop her, Chun-Li closed her eyes and simply let herself enjoy his touch in peaceful silence.

Soon enough, Chun-Li found herself falling soundly asleep in his arms, feeling a sense of security and warmth she had never experienced before. And in those final moments of consciousness, she somehow knew that this was the start of something truly wonderful.

…..

The next morning, Owen was awoken as natural light started peeking through the window and the usual bustling of the city outside became clearer. Not yet ready to open his eyes, he tried to shift his head in order to block out the light and try to get a few more minutes of rest. Yet as he did so, he came to notice the feeling of something, or rather someone, pressed up against him.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Chun-Li was lying there with him, her loose black hair sprawled across the pillow as she slumbered peacefully. Despite being momentarily surprised, Owen soon found himself smiling as he remembered the events of the night before. So, it hadn’t been a dream after all…

As he admired her slumbering from, Owen gently ran his hand up along her bare back and slowly ran his fingers through her hair; he had grown fond of her ox-horns, but as he came to realize last night, she was absolutely stunning with her hair down. After a while, Chun-Li started shifting her body in response to his touch and soon, her eyes fluttered open. Once she saw him, she gave him a soft smile.

“Hey.” She whispered as he gave her a smile of his own.

“Hey.” He whispered back, staring deep into her eyes as he continued running his hand through her hair. There was such a potent affection in her gaze, it felt like she was warming his very soul.

“Mmm, what time is it?” She softly asked him as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against her pillow. Reluctantly breaking his gaze away from her, Owen looked over at her clock to check.

“8:47.” He replied, which she acknowledged with a low, frustrated hum.

“I have to go pick her up…” She said in a quiet voice.

“What time?” He asked her as she stirred.

“Around ten – ten thirty, but I’m sure I don’t need to be exactly on the clock. Odds are, they’re going to sleep in.” As she said this, she re-positioned herself so she was resting her chin on one of her hands, making it so she was looking straight at him.

“Better safe than sorry, though, right?” Said Owen.

“Exactly, so try not to get too comfortable, alright? I promised I’d drop you off on the way.” Chun-Li maneuvered herself so they were on eye-level with each-other.

“You don’t have to. I have my card – I can make my own way back if need be.” He told her.

“Oh, stop. It’ll be no problem, really.” She assured him. “Now, might I interest you in some breakfast?”

“Breakfast, you say?” “Mm-hmm. Tell you what? How about I go and whip us up some crepes.” Said Chun-Li as she ran a hand along his cheek.

“Oh, Ms. Xiang. You’re too much.” Owen said with a smile, causing her to giggle in response.

“You know it.” Just like that, they were kissing again, their bodies lazily pressing and grinding against each other. After some time, he decided to move in to kiss her neck, eliciting a low hum of approval.

“Mmm, keep that up and I’m afraid breakfast might not happen.” She said after several seconds as she ran her finger through his hair.

“And is that a bad thing?” He whispered to her, remembering how much she had liked him doing that.

“I didn’t say stop.” Chun-Li said and with a small chuckle, he went right back to kissing her neck. At the same time, she returned the favor by placing a few soft kisses along his shoulder.

Despite having grown erect several minutes before, Owen had no intention of going further than where they were now, because he knew they didn’t have a lot of time. Really, he just wanted to spend a few more moments with her, to feel the softness of her skin and the warm comfort of her embrace.

“Last night was so amazing…” He heard her softly utter.

“Forget about the rest of the day already?” He broke away from her neck to ask.

“Oh, not at all. Everything turned out far better than I could’ve hoped for.” She told him as they made eye contact once again. “And, well….I had a ton of fun.” She told him.

“Me too.” Owen said in reply, smiling as he recalled the events of the day gone by; the hike, the ferry ride, their small dinner and off course, what led them to where they were now.

For the next little while, the two of them lay there staring deep into each-other’s eyes. Owen had admittedly had some doubts about sleeping with her so soon, even if they were nowhere close to being strangers. But as he held her, he felt closer to Chun-Li than he had to any other woman before. To think that this amazing woman had been a virgin just the night before…that she had trusted him to be the one to deflower her. 

“Well, best get going then. Breakfast isn’t going to make itself, after all.” She said as she started getting out of bed.

“Yep.” Owen said in agreement as he sat up in bed and watched her get up. The first thing she did was go to retrieve her pair of ox horns.

“Should probably do this first. Don’t want to tie them together in a hurry.” She said.

“Do you really have to, though? You look fabulous as is.” He said both as a compliment and as a genuine question for her to consider.

“Thanks, but…we wouldn’t want Li-Fen to start asking questions, won’t we?” She asked as she held them up, causing him to chuckle.

“Can’t say that’s a bad call.” Suddenly, Owen got an idea. “Say, you wouldn’t like any help with those, would you?” He asked before she could go.

“You mean in putting them up?” Owen nodded in response, leaving her to mull it over for a bit. “Do you even know how to?” She proceeded to ask him.

“Can’t say I do, but I’m willing to learn.” He replied, leaving Chun-Li to look at him in pondering silence.

“Eh, why not? Better you go through the pain of doing it than me.” She said as she walked back over to the bed, to which he laughed in response.

“Ah, see? That’s the spirit.” He jested as she sat down cross legged in front of him, passing him the materials he would be using as she did.

“So, what to do first?” Owen asked as he set the materials off to the side and looked back to her flowing hair.

“Just take my hair and split it off into two halves: after that, just tie them both off into pigtails. Oh and…be sure to do it gently.” She told him, looking back at him to smile.

“Of course.” He said to her.

Owen proceeded to do as Chun-Li had instructed, gently taking one half of her hair and putting it over her shoulder to keep it out of the way as he worked on getting the other one tied up. As he did all this, he thought about the events of the previous day, including the event that had capped it off.

“So…do you think we should talk about it?” He asked her as he did up her first pigtail.

“About what?” She asked him.

“Oh, you know. That was a rather eventful first date, wouldn’t you say?” He pointed out, causing her to chuckle.

“So we’ve established. Anything in particular you wanted to discuss?” She coyly asked him just as he finished putting the first pigtail off with a pin.

“Hmm, let me think about it for a moment. I’m sure it’ll come to me.” He sarcastically said as he started the same process with the other half of her hair, the mere fact he was doing so being enough to clue her in as to what he wanted to talk to her about.

“Do we really have to say anything else in regards to that?” Chun-Li soon asked him.

“I don’t know. I just assumed you’d have something to get off your chest, given the circumstances.” He explained as he worked on the second pigtail.

“You know, I feel like I should, but surprisingly, I don’t.” She paused for a moment, allowing him to work on her hair in silence.

“How about you?” Chun-Li asked, causing him to almost lose his hold on her hair in surprise.

“Only that I’m glad to be alive.” He jested, causing her to giggle.

“Hey, I said I was sorry, didn’t I?” She reminded him.

“You’re right, you did.” By now, Owen had come to the point where he was tying Chun-Li’s second pigtail up with a hair band. “Done. What next?” He asked.

“You see where the band is, right?” She said, pointing to one of the spots to give him an idea.

“I do.” “Twist the pigtails and wrap it around there. After that, put in a few pins just to be safe.” After vocalizing his understanding, Owen set to work twisting her hair as she had requested to the best of his ability.

“So, aside from the fact I almost killed you, is there anything else on your mind?” Chun-Li soon asked him, a question he was somewhat hesitant to answer.

“Well, I guess I’m still a little… I don’t know, surprised by it all. I honestly had no idea you trusted me that much.” He decided to come clean and say as he started to tie the first bun.

“Owen, if I could trust you with my daughter, then I can trust you with my body. And I can safely say I wasn’t wrong in doing either.” Owen was left at a loss for words, not just by what she had said, but also by the sincerity with which she had said it. As a result, the bun he was tying fell away.

“You okay back there?” Chun-Li asked as she looked back at him, smiling at him as she did.

“Sorry. I just never thought about it that way, I suppose.” He told her as he reached for her hair to try again.

“Yeah, it’s…it’s been quite a year, huh?” She said, causing him to smile.

“It sure has.” He said in agreement.

“Speaking of which, I think we should address the elephant in the room.” Chun-Li said as he got her bun back in order.

“Li-Fen?” He immediately guessed.

“Yeah. I don’t think you need me to tell you that if we’re going to go forward with this, you’ll have to be dealing with her too. So, I just wanted to know – are you prepared to do that, Owen?” She asked him in a much more serious tone of voice, leaving him to think about his answer for a bit.

“Do you think I’d be here if I wasn’t?” He asked her, causing her to sigh.

“It’s just that Li-Fen…well, she’s my responsibility first and foremost. I don’t want you to sacrifice any more of your time on that than you already have.” She said to him as he finished putting in the pins.

“Chun-Li, stop. I haven’t sacrificedanything – I promised you that I’d help Li-Fen in any way I could and I intend to make good on that promise.” He said to her.

“You do know I didn’t quite have this in mind when we made that deal, right?” She told him just as he set to work with the second half of her hair.

“I do, but a lot has changed since then.” He reminded her.

“Indeed, it has.” She said in agreement. Owen proceeded to work in silence for the next couple seconds.

Thinking back to the first time the two of them had met, the last thing Owen had expected to come of it was for them to be doing…well, anything they’d done over the past twenty-four hours. He had come to greatly admire Chun-Li over the past year or so, and the thought of having to part ways with her once the school year came to a close had been somewhat disheartening. He knew holding those sorts of feelings towards a parent wasn’t the most professional thing in the world, so he was thankful that the two of them managed to work through it like adults.

As for Li-Fen, watching her grow throughout the year had been a great joy to witness. He had known early on that Li-Fen had great potential as a student, which was being held back by factors outside of her control and knowing the circumstances that had brought them about only made him more invested in seeing her succeed. And needless to say, he had grown very fond of her in that time. Li-Fen was a great kid: sweet, intelligent and perseverant in the face of adversity.

Really, she was like the daughter he never had.

“And… all done.” He announced as he finished wrapping her white silked ox-horns over her buns.

“How do I look?” She asked as she checked the pair of buns with her hands. With a wide smile on his face, he wrapped his arms around Chun-Li’s waist and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

“Perfect.” The two of them shared a quick laugh as he embraced her, with Owen experiencing an inexplicable warmth at hearing her laugh.

“So, you still up for crepes?” Chun-Li softly asked him, reminding him of just how hungry he really was.

“Oh, absolutely.” He replied.

“Well, we’re going to have to clear the table then.” She reminded him, seeing as they hadn’t put away the dishes they had used in their small dinner the night before. 

“Don’t worry about it - I’ll do it. It’s the least I can do, for showing me such a good time.” He whispered into her ear. Chun-Li then turned her head to look at him and with a warm smile, kissed him on the lips.

“Pleasure was all mine. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” She said, breaking their kiss.

“By all means. I’ll join you in a bit.” After he let her go, Chun-Li stood up and walked out of her room, looking over her shoulder to smile at him as he watched her go. After sitting still for a few seconds, Owen reached for his trousers and set about putting them back on, but held off on putting on his shirt – the amount of sweat he had built up during their hike had left it with a noticeable, unappealing order.

He then looked over to the nightstand, where his glasses and inhaler were waiting for him. First, he decided to put his glasses on just for the hell of it; turns out, Chun-Li really liked it when he wore them, which certainly came as a surprise. Really, he had always thought him wearing glasses hindered his appearance somewhat, but apparently not.

All that was left to pick up was his relief inhaler, which Owen held in his hand for a bit as he recounted last night’s events. Sex for him had always been a complicated affair. No matter how old he got, having to pull out his inhaler in front of anyone was somewhat embarrassing, but needing to do so with a sexual partner was particularly nerve-racking. Then of course, there was the performance aspect – he couldn’t say he was always in danger of having a full-blown attack in bed, but he couldn’t eliminate that risk either.

Needless to say, he was very appreciative of how understanding Chun-Li had been regarding his asthma, which helped him feel as comfortable as he had with her. Really, he liked that he could just be himself around her - asthma and all – without needing to worry about keeping up appearances. Really, that’s all he could ask for in a partner.

“You coming or what?” He heard Chun-Li call for him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Of course. Just a second.” With his inhaler in hand, Owen left the bedroom to join her.

Over the next hour, the two of them went about getting ready to leave. The two of them worked together in the kitchen – her cooking and him cleaning – before settling down for a quick breakfast, after which they got properly dressed to leave. In almost no time at all, Owen found himself in the passenger’s seat of Chun-Li’s car, cruising down the busy Hong Kong street with his backpack in his lap.

“Well, we’re almost there. You’re sure you have everything?” Chun-Li asked him.

“Pretty sure. Besides, the only thing I really _needed_ to remember was the inhaler and I definitely got that.” He told her as he shifted through his bag.

“Alright. If I do happen to find something of yours, I guess I’ll tell you and I can come by to give it back or something.” She told him.

“Sure.” He replied. After a few seconds of silence, Owen looked over to his driver and decided to take a stab at it.

“Speaking off, when do you think you’ll be free to meet up again?” Chun-Li’s eyes looked over at him, her lips forming into a smile.

“I’m not sure, but once I do have an idea, I’ll be sure to let you know.” She replied exactly as he had expected her too.

“Alright.” Owen said, smiling broadly.

“Do you have anything particular in mind?” Chun-Li then asked him.

“Not really, but I’m certain we can think of something.” Owen then decided to be a little daring. “But regardless of that, when we do see each-other next, I think I’d like to treat _you_ to breakfast this time. How’s that sound?” Looking off at him from the side, Chun-Li lips curled into a devilish grin.

“You know what? I think I’d like that.” She replied, turning her attention back to the road.

“Very good, then.” By now, the two of them were getting close to where he was staying.

“Where do I drop you off?” “Same as last time, I suppose.” He said, with her chuckling in response.

“Oh yeah. Will do.” Chun-Li turned her car onto the narrow roadway just beside his apartment. “Here we are.” She announced as she came to a stop. After taking off his seatbelt, Owen looked over to Chun-Li and leaned over to give her one more small kiss on the lips.

“Thanks again, Chun-Li.” He softly said to her.

“Any time. Now go on – I’ll be in touch.” She assured him. With a small nod, Owen took hold of his backpack and moved to open the door.

“Oh, and…be sure to give Li-Fen my regards.” He turned back to her to say.

“Of course. Have a good day… Mr. Diedrich.” She told him with a warm smile. “Same to you, Ms. Xiang.”

With that he stepped out of her car and closed the door, deciding to stay and give her one small wave before she disappeared around the corner. After standing on the street with what was no doubt the dumbest smile on his face, Owen finally decided to turn around to enter his building.

In a couple of minutes, he unlocked the door to his studio apartment, looking around at the place before he decided to step inside. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do now. A shower was surely in order and he would no doubt go down to the pool later, but the fact he didn’t have to worry about work for now probably meant he could just stay in for the day.

As he walked over to his bed, he noticed that his journal was still lying on his nightstand, where he had left it before leaving with Chun-Li the day before. Setting his backpack down, Owen decided to open it up to the page he had left on and, taking a pen in his hand, decided to write a small addition to yesterday’s entry.

_UPDATE: Totally worth it._

_…………._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kept you waiting, huh?
> 
> Yes, I know it's been like three months since I've updated this story (or done just about anything on here, for that matter), so I think I should give a sort of update as to what's been going on.
> 
> First of all, I'm still enrolled in university and obviously still have to worry about assignments, but I actually managed to net myself a part-time job as well. It's pretty convenient as far as arrangements go, but I nevertheless have to manage my hours to take both my work and my education into account, which unfortunately means I'll have even less time to devote to writing. That isn't to say I'm putting my stories on hold - believe it or not, this one is still far from over - but that you should probably expect regular gaps between updates.
> 
> Secondly, some of my older readers may've noticed a few changes had been made to the existing chapters recently and that is by design. You see, another reason this chapter took so long to finish is because I decided to take some time to look at what I've already published and do a little reevaluation; "get my story straight", as it were. To that end, I've ended up making a few creative decisions that effectively retcon certain elements of the existing narrative.
> 
> 1.) You might recall Owen briefly mentioning that one pair of his grandparents met in Hong Kong in my previous draft, which was something I didn't really go into; however, I've now decided to take that concept and run with it. Owen is in fact multiracial - one-quarter Cantonese, to be more exact and thus has some prior experience with Hong Kong's culture.
> 
> 2.) I've also made it so that Owen's grandfather was the only living grandparent he had growing up, a decision I made for a variety of reasons. Firstly, his other grandfather being out of the picture helps strengthen Owen's bond with him and also gives his surviving grandfather an added motive to spend more time with his grandson, seeing as his best friend and wife had passed away. If you want to see a more detailed rundown of how this impacts the story of Owen's family, I suggest you go back and re-read the newly updated Chapter 3.
> 
> 3.) All other changes were simply me tweaking and polishing up several existing scenes, many of which I found to be poorly structured upon re-reading them. Most of my attention was focused on making the dialogue flow more naturally and in helping understand what the characters were thinking a little clearer.
> 
> That's about it in terms of updates. I should also mention that part of the delay had to do with me getting absorbed into the recent beta for Guilty Gear: Strive and spending the better half of the week going apeshit with Leo instead of finishing up my writing. Honestly, this chapter has been practically finished for a while at this point, but I just didn't feel ready to release it for whatever reason. I probably should've released it yesterday, seeing as it was Chun-Li's canonical birthday and all, but I just kind off...didn't. But anyway, it's here now and I hope you enjoy. Comments and all that are always appreciated.
> 
> Until next time.
> 
> P.S: Yes, I know saying Gen is dead risks him pulling a Gouken on us, but for the sake of the conversation, let's just assume he is.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well in these rather...well, crazy times.
> 
> To pre-face, this project originally started off as a one-shot and much like my first major story, spiraled into something much bigger. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to what I imagine bridged Chun-Li's story between the events of Street Fighter V and Third Strike. For those of you who have read my last major work, I promise this one will remain "wholesome" in nature the whole way through...most of the time, that is.
> 
> I'm close to being done with the next chapter, so hopefully that'll be out in a few weeks at most.


End file.
